


Into the darkness

by WinterSkulleton



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Cannibalism, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29410248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterSkulleton/pseuds/WinterSkulleton
Summary: Your best friend moved out of town when you were twelve. The two of you lost touch after that, but you never stopped thinking about him. Were you expecting to see him again in university? No. But you did. And the bond between you two only grew stronger after that. Until you find him laying in the forest at night, bloody and filthy...
Relationships: Eyeless Jack/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Hello!

You can skip this part if you want.

I just wanted to say, before we head into the story, that every chapter title is the title of a song. I put every song at the beginning of its chapter if you want to listen to it. I also made a playlist on Spotify with the songs if you want to listen to them one after the other. The playlist is not yet complete, as I am not quite done writing the plan to the story, so you might notice songs appearing and disappearing from it sometimes.

Every song is a song that I was listening to while writing the draft. They are songs that I think suit the chapter. They are also songs I personally love.

[Here is the playlist on Spotify!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6lVy25dnh6fOke1GrNMhan?si=n9-FPIdHSAGsPpJ4io-sUg)

As this is a story mostly centered around dark themes, **gore, violence, cannibalism, cults, and profanities will be used**. However, I will not use self-harm, pedophilia, incest, or rape.

To wrap it up, please **do not hesitate to leave comments!!!** As a fanfic writer, I can tell you that we are not paid in money for what we do, but in comments. Even if you think your comment is stupid, or that it is going to bother me, please post it anyway. Same thing if you have a question, and I will do my best to answer it.

Enjoy!


	2. Good old-fashioned lover boy

[Good old fashioned lover boy](https://youtu.be/ETFMZpV-f7g)

"You kissed Laura?!" I squealed in my high-pitched twelve-year-old voice.

Through his big smile, I could see Jack's missing tooth. There were bits of ham and lettuce stuck between almost every other teeth. The wood of the treehouse was rough against my bare back, and droplets of water were sliding down my shoulder from the swim we had earlier. He buried his face in his elbow, which was propped on the table and holding a half-eaten sandwich. The birthmark on my friend's wrist was sticking out just above his brown curls.

"Yeaaah."

"But she's the prettiest girl in all the school! Why does no one know about it?" 

Jack took a second to reply as if he was looking for his words.

"Because we agreed to tell it to nobody ever. And you're my best friend, so I'm telling you."

"Oh..."

"But you can't tell her that you know or else she'll know that I told you!" He said quickly, his blue eyes as big as the moon.

"Ok, I won't tell anyone. Do you wanna go back in the pool? I'm getting a bit cold." I heard myself ask.

"Yeah, anyway Mom put mayonnaise in the sandwiches. She knows I hate it. I don't understand why keeps putting mayonnaise everywhere. She even put some in my chocolate birthday cake last year."

I rushed to the ladder and started to climb down. About half-way to the ground, my foot got stuck on a random tree branch. My mom had warned me several times to go down the ladder facing it, and not backwards, but I did it anyway because I could jump down the last steps and that was cool. But I was there, laying on the ground, my bone poking out of my arm and Jack screaming my name, and I thought maybe my mom was right, after all.

The rest of that day is merely a blur in my head, but I remember Jack's father shouting at his wife to call an ambulance, and Jack's eyes. Oh, Jack's amazingly blue eyes that were filled with tear. They kept jerking in every direction as if he was looking for someone to help and all he could do was watch.

That was the last time I saw his eyes.

*****

I opened my eyes and was immediately blinded by the sunlight coming in through the window. I tried raising my arm to block out the rays, but it wouldn't move. I'd slept on it again and it was completely numb.

"Aw, fuck..." I mumbled, still half-asleep. I turned around and looked for the alarm clock. The red digits read 8:26.

Wait. 8:26?

"Oh, fuck!"

I was going to be late for class. It was starting at 8:30, and though it wasn't that far from my room, it usually took me ten minutes to get there. Of course, running was prohibited on campus since a guy who was running bumped into someone in the library and that person fell into a bookcase. That had then provoked a giant game of dominoes and a few broken bones from a couple of students. So I was going to walk fast. Quite fast, actually. But I wasn't going to run, no sir. I got dressed as quickly as I could, and I was out in the hallway.

It was 8:32 when I got to the classroom. I got in quietly and took the nearest seat. When I was done unpacking my things, the guy next to me whispered:

"Hi."

"Hi," I responded, looking at him briefly. Blue eyes.

I looked back at him again but noticed his messy blonde hair. He wasn't the person I thought he was.

"I'm Henry." He said.

"I'm (Y/N)."

"Pleasure to meet you." He kept looking at me for a few seconds before turning his attention back to the teacher and her class.

*****

There were about fifteen minutes left to the class when I got a note from my left. From Henry.

"u gay?"

Did he want to kill me, or fuck me, I didn't know. However, I did know that not a lot of homophobic serial killers had a gay pride flag sewn into their school bag. I decided he was safe.

"yeah" I wrote back.

I passed him the note without breaking eye contact with the teacher. Looking suspicious wasn't exactly my goal, at that moment. A few minutes went by, and I got the paper back.

"i dont have other classes today" was written on the back.

"me neither"

*****

Henry and I were already kissing when we stumbled into my dorm room. His teeth were on my neck, his hands on my hips. My hands were buried deep in his golden locks. He smelled like gasoline. Well, not like gasoline, but you know when something just smells so good.

"Ohh, Jack..." I accidentally moaned.

Henry let go of me almost as soon as the words were out of my mouth.

"My name's not Jack." He said with indignation.

"I..."

"Look, I'm out of here."

"Wait..." Henry had already slammed the door behind him.

I sighed.

*****

Because of that stupid dream, I had thoughts about Jack swirling around in my head all day, yesterday. But today, I was decided on not thinking about him at all.

I woke up on time, had time to eat a bowl of cereal while watching the news, and shower. There wasn't anything interesting on TV. Not at this hour of the day. My next class didn't start before a good two hours, so I took a nap.

When I woke up, it was almost time to go. I packed my books and my laptop and decided I would stroll for a while in the park near the forest that was next to the uni since I still had time left. I was just out of my room when something large collided with me. I fell to the ground, and the thing fell on top of me. It turns out that the thing was actually a person, and that person had dropped their books all over us.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking. But I wasn't running either, okay?" The guy said.

"You were definitely running. And it's fine, I'm not hurt." I laughed as I helped him collect his books. I took one at random. " _The Neurosurgeon's Handbook_. Wow, you must be smart!"

"Can I have it back, please?" He extended his hand towards me, palm facing up.

"Oh, yeah, sure..." That mark on his wrist... I looked up to the guy's face. Blue eyes, curly brown hair, freckles. I know him! "Jack?"

Surprised, he looked up at me. His eyebrows moved slightly towards each other, then shot up.

"(Y/N)!"


	3. The night we met

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if the texting part looks weird im doing my best

[The night we met](https://youtu.be/KtlgYxa6BMU)

Jack laughed, brought the tip of his beer can to his lips, then shook his head, all the while keeping eye contact with me.

"What? You don't believe me?" I asked, putting my own can on the dresser I used as a nightstand. It was also where my television was.

Jack and I were in my room, drinking beer and talking about nothing and everything. He was studying to be a neurosurgeon, as the book I'd picked up earlier that day, when he'd bumped into me, had suggested it. I'd invited him over after we were both done with our classes. We'd turned the small couch I had so that it was facing my bed, and he'd fell onto it as soon as we were done moving it. I was sitting on my bed.

"I don't know if I do," Jack answered with a smile.

When you imagine a neurosurgeon, you probably imagine a white man in his late forties who's half bald, very serious and very wrinkled, seated behind a massive desk with his hands crossed and telling you you don't have long left to live. Well, that wasn't Jack. It wasn't him at all. Jack was kind and funny and handsome. We might just be friends, but I could still know a cutie when I saw one. And he was quite the sight. All sharp angles and soft gazes. God, did he wear contour, or were his cheekbones just _like that?_

*****

The night stretched on for a few hours, and Jack ended up leaving my room around 1:30 AM. It was a good thing that it was Friday and that we both didn't have too much homework for the next week. But before he left, he said:

"Can I have your phone?"

"Uhh, yes, if you give it back."

"Of course, I will."

I handed him my phone, and he took it. I saw him tap a few things on it, then smile. He was done.

"Here you go. I added myself to your contact list. No booty calls though, okay?" He joked.

*****

Saturday morning, I was still laying in my bed, scrolling on my phone, when memories of last night ran through my head. I opened the message app and typed:

"good morning cutie"

I waited a few minutes and received:

"Morning sweetheart"

Immediately followed by:

"Was that too much?

Im so sorry i shouldnt have"

I snorted, and replied.

its fine dont worry"

"besides i kinda liked it

"Ok :)

Have a nice day"

What a dork.

"you too"

The rest of the day went by without a lot of entertainement. I took a walk in the park, and saw a squirrel. I think that was the highlight of my day. When I got back at my dorm, I had some leftover for diner and took a shower. I watched a movie on Netflix, but it was mediocre.

My laptop was in front of me with a Words document open, but untouched. Next to me was a cup of coffee that was long since cold. That essay wasn't due for another week and a half, but I really tried to not procrastinate too much.

*****

I was about to fall asleep when I thought of Jack. Was he in his bed too? Was he out partying with friends? Only one way to find out, I guess.

.u up?" I texted him"

He saw the message almost as soon as I sent it. I smiled.

"Yeah

Whats up?"

"i just wanted to tell you good night"

"Oh

Good night then" 

"sweet dreams Jack"

":)"

Him and that damned smiley face.

*****

We spent the whole week sending texts back and forth. We met a few times at a popular coffee restaurant which I won't name, but who's name spelled backwards is " _Skcubrats_ ", and talked a bit there while waiting for our orders.

Then, one night, I got a weird text from Jack.

"I think someone is following me"

Thinking he was messing with me, I replied:

"yea i heard the boogeyman is out tonight"

He saw my message, but he waited a few minutes to respond.

"Im serious

Its not some kind of messed up prank"

"ok whats going on"

The bubble with the three dots appeared, disappeared, appeared again, and stayed.

"Someone was following me when i left my room and i didnt think much of it then but now im in the forest cause i needed some air and theyre still following me and i think im lost and im scared and i dont wanna die here and now

Also my phone's battery is running out"

"?do you want me to come find you"

"Yes plz"

"ok im coming"

I opened the snapchat map and looked for Jack's little... person. Whatever it was. I always thought it was ugly, but Jack had surprisingly managed to make his actually look like him.

*****

I'd been walking for about five minutes when I saw Jack's character moving. I texted him to stop moving if he wanted me to find him one day.

He didn't see that message.

*****

The map said that I wasn't that far away from Jack, but I'd been yelling his name and he hadn't responded. I checked the message app. He still hadn't seen the text I'd sent him and I was getting quite worried.

I ended up in some kind of small clearing in the middle of the woods. Something was laying on the ground.

"Oh God, it's Jack."

I ran to him and shook him. His face and neck were coated with half dry blood, and his shirt and hair were full of dirt. Where his skin wasn't red, it was shiny with sweat.

"Hey, Jack! Wake up! Please open your fucking eyes." I shook him. "Jack! Jack. Please."

I put my ear to his chest. I was no doctor, but I knew that when a heart isn't working, it's usually not good. But his heart was pumping. I removed my head from his chest and put my phone screen under his nose. A thin film of condensation formed on it. He was breathing just fine. A sigh escaped my lips. Jack was simply unconscious. I lifted him up and hugged him.

"Come on, man. I know we just found each other again, but I don't wanna lose you."

I buried my face in the crook of his neck. He smelled atrociously bad, but I didn't want to be away from him.

But like, as friends.

"(Y/N)?"

I hugged him tighter.

"It's me, Jack. I'm here, you're safe now." I reassured him.

"(Y/N)..." He started shaking and sobbing in my arms. I felt his own arms moving as he lifted them on my back.

"Hey, you're okay. You're safe now, Jack."

I didn't know what else to do except hug him tight, and tell him that he was going to be safe and that I was here with him.


	4. Burning

[Burning](https://youtu.be/gq21oY-ByCk)

Over Jack's trembling shoulder, I checked the time on my watch. It was almost half-past eleven.

"Jack?" I whispered softly. "Maybe we should head back home."

He nodded slowly in my neck. I got up first, then helped him.

"Do you want my jacket? Your shirt is very dirty and that way you can hide your face until we get all that dry blood off of you."

He nodded again, always looking at the ground between us two. I unzipped my hoodie and handed it to Jack. It was probably just my imagination playing tricks on me, but I couldn't help but notice how grey his skin looked. Although, it might as well have been caused by the moon.

"Can I lean on you to walk?" He said. "My head hurts a lot."

"Yes, of course." I passed his arm over my shoulders and put my own around his waist, the map still in my other hand. And we started walking.

*****

Jack and I had been out of the forest for one or two minutes and we were headed towards my room, when some kind of security guard stopped us.

"What is going on here?"

I looked at Jack.

"He's, uhh... Drunk. So I'm taking him back to his room." Thank God it's Friday, am I right?

The guard eyed us suspiciously, before getting out of our way.

"Fine, you can go."

I felt Jack's body relax against mine.

*****

We'd reached my room without any other problem. I helped Jack to the couch, then went in the bathroom to get a clean cloth and some water to clean him up. Back in front of the couch, I sat next to him.

"I'm going to get the blood off of your face now, but you'll need to get the hood off, so that I can see it. Ok?" I asked him.

Nodding, he pushed the hood back, but kept his eyes shut tightly.

"Hey, look at me. You're safe, now. Oh, God. What happened to your eyes?"

His eyes were as black as a turned off computer screen. I leaned towards him, wet cloth still in hand when his lips moved.

"What?" He was talking so quietly... I wasn't even sure if he had talked at all.

"They're gone." He repeated a bit louder.

"B... How?" I stuttered.

"They took 'em out. With their weird metal instruments." He wasn't talking very loudly, so our faces were actually quite close. I moved my head back, and started cleaning him again.

"Do you... Know who did that to you?" I asked softly.

"No." He shook his head. "The only thing I know as a fact is that I might not have eyes anymore, but I can still see."

"You do?" That was astonishing. I held up two fingers. "How many fin..."

"Two. I can see it. And anyways, people always hold two fingers up when they're asking that question."

We finished cleaning him up in silence. When I was done, I stretched my hand towards the zipper of my jacket, but Jack stopped me.

"Your shirt is dirty too, you should change it." I told him.

He shook his head.

"Do you want me to go in the bathroom while you get changed?"

"Yes, please."

I got up and looked in my dresser for a shirt that would fit Jack. It wasn't that hard, given that we were about the same size. I found an old red band t-shirt and decided he was the one. I gave it to Jack, and made my way to the bathroom.

*****

I must have been in there for a good five minutes before realizing you don't need that long to change shirts.

"Jack, can I come out, now?" I asked through the door.

No answer.

"Is everything okay?" I pushed the door opened. Over the back of the couch, I could see Jack's hunched shoulders. His hands were over his face. He was crying. "Jack?"

I went to him and hugged him tightly.

*****

The next morning, I woke up on the couch. I bent my head back to check the bed. Jack was gone. Groaning, I sat up and looked in the kitchen. Jack was there, looking at me with his... holes.

"Morning..." I said. I pushed the thin sheet off of me and on the ground below and walked to Jack. "How are you doing?"

"I can't eat it." He said, pointing to a bowl in front of us. "It tastes weird and it makes me sick."

The bowl had soft cereal floating in milk in it.

"Maybe the milk has expired...?" I proposed.

"No, I checked the date and it's fine."

"I have toasts if you want." He shook his head at that.

There was a pause.

"Do you think it's because of..."

"I don't know."

There was another pause.

"I need to go."

I looked up at him, but he was already in the bathroom. A few seconds later, I heard him throw up. When I got to the bathroom, he was bent over the toilet, with spit coming out of his mouth.

"It's better if it's out, right," I said as I handed him toilet paper to wipe his mouth.

"Can I try toasts?" He asked.

"Of course..."

I sat him down on a stool next to the small kitchen island and started cutting bread.

"What do you want on them?" I asked him.

"Just butter, please."

When the toasts were ready, I placed them in front of him and sat on the other stool. He took a small bite out of the first one, then put it back on the plate.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" I asked him. "Anything that could help us understand?"

"I do."

"Do you... Want to... Talk about it?"

"Do you want to hear it?"

I thought for a few seconds.

"I want to understand what happened to you."

He smiled at me. Fuck. How could someone look so good, even without eyes? I felt myself smiling back.

"Alright, I'll tell you."

*****

It was around 10:30PM. Jack had just finished writing an essay, and he was getting desperate for some fresh air. He checked his phone battery and unplugged it. 43% was ok, right? Well, it had to be, cause Jack had decided so.

He didn't bother locking the door behind him, as his roommate, Max, was in there anyways. He looked back towards the end of the hallway, no one was there. He walked outside the building and towards the forest.

The forest air always calmed him down, when he was feeling a bit paranoid. And he did have a small tendency to be paranoid. Especially in times like these, when it was late at night and someone seemed to be walking behind him at every turn he made.

"It's fine." Jack kept telling himself. "They're just taking a nice walk through the woods in the middle of the night. I mean, that's kind of what I'm doing too. Sure, they've been following me for a while now, so what? They're just going to the same place as I am. There is nothing wrong with that."

Jack walked for a while, and the person behind him was still after him. He felt a weight in his jeans pocket. His phone! Turning it on, he checked the battery. It hadn't gone down too much, so he decided he would turn the flashlight on. It did help him see better, but he still had no way of getting back to his room without passing right next to the weird creep behind.

"It's not like I'm going to... Text someone for help!"

It's exactly what he did.

He went to the message app, and clicked on the contact at the top of the screen. (Y/N).

"What if I'm bothering him, though. What if he's already asleep!" He looked through the last few messages.

.Good night babe" Jack had texted him the night before"

It had taken (Y/N) around two hours to respond.

"sorry im so late i was wacthing a movie

watching*

good night honey"

The whole "calling each other pet names" game had started when they were just kids. They would pretend they were married when they were just the two of them. Just like their parents. But they didn't do it in front of them. They had seen movies. Movies were two boys who love each other would get hurt a lot just because of love. They liked being married to the other. Did they kiss? Never. They thought that was how you got pregnant. But now, when (Y/N) called him sweet names like that, Jack couldn't do anything but smile and pretend that feeling in his chest was strictly platonic.

Jack thought about it, and decided his safety was more important than whether his friend was sleeping or not. And if he didn't respond, he just had to text someone else.

"I think someone is following me"

He looked back in the dark. The person was gone. He almost broke his neck turning it so quickly in so many directions. The stranger was nowhere in sight. Jack looked down at the screen.

"yea i heard the boogeyman is out tonight"

Im serious"

"Its not some kind of messed up prank

"ok whats going on"

Someone was following me when i left my room and i didnt think"

much of it then but now im in the forest cause i needed

some air and theyre still following me and i think im

lost and im scared and i dont wanna die here and now

"Also my phone's battery is running out

"do you want me to come find you?"

"Yes plz"

"ok im coming"

Jack had stopped walking. He knew if he wanted (Y/N) to find him, he should stop moving. He sat down, his back against a tree, and waited. Around five minutes passed before he heard something move behind him. He jumped, and turned around lighting the area with his phone, but nothing was there. _It was probably just a rabbit_ , he thought, turning back. And he jumped again when he saw someone standing right in front of him. He didn't see much of what happened, except the white cloth that was pressed to his face before he could even move.

*****

His eyes opened slowly, and landed on several figures standing above him. They were all wearing dark robes.

"He's awake." A voice whispered somewhere around him.

"Yeah, we know, Jim, we have eyes."

Jack heard some kind of joke about eyes and muffled laughter.

"Ok. Let's get started, shall we?"

*****

"I don't remember clearly what happened after that, but I do remember the pain, and how dark it was when they..." He gestured at his eyes. "And I remember they were chanting in... Russian? I think? And they kept saying "tuna bog". Whatever that means."

" _Tuna bog?_ " I asked. "But that doesn't mean anything."

"I know! But maybe in Russian, it does. Anyway. After that, I passed out and..." He stopped, as if distracted. "And when I woke up you were there."

I looked down at his plate. He'd only eaten about a quarter of his toasts.

"Also, I think I'm going to throw up again."


	5. Vampire Smile

[Vampire Smile](https://youtu.be/GWNRRnXmGKs)

"We could try to, uh... Make a list. Of the things I eat and if I can digest them or not." Jack suggests.

"Yeah, good idea. I have to go to the grocery store today anyway, so if you want me to get something for you, just tell me, ok?"

He nodded.

"I'll go after lunch, so think about it," I added.

He nodded again.

I sighed silently. I wasn't mad at him. He hadn't asked for all that. No, I was mad at the people who'd done that to him. What did they get out of it? Money? From who? Who decided that their Friday night plans were to sacrifice a guy in the middle of the woods? I had so many questions and none of them had answers.

*****

Jack had given me a small list a few minutes before I left for the store.

"Why do all doctors write like that?" I muttered, pushing my cart down the aisle. It seemed like every time I went shopping and used a cart, I took the one with the squeaky wheel. And of course, this time was no different.

Jack had the handwriting of a drunk spider. Small, loopy, and undecipherable. The only thing I thought I could understand was "chocolate ice cream". Though I probably used a bit of intuition too, because it was already his favorite when we were ten.

I was about to squeak up to the cashier when I remembered what Jack said. " _Tuna bog_ ". I couldn't buy a bog in a Wal-Mart, but I could probably find some fish.

*****

I opened the door to my room and immediately stopped breathing. The air in it smelled horrible. Grimacing, I heard the door close behind me. I placed the bags on the floor next to the refrigerator and noticed that the list pinned to it was longer than when I left. But only on the " _can't eat"_ side. The only thing we knew Jack could eat and keep down was water. I walked to the window above my bed and pushed it open, letting fresh air in.

"Yeah, sorry about the smell." The voice was coming from the bathroom. It sounded scratchy and tired. Jack was sitting on the tiled floor in front of the toilet, smiling weakly. I went and leaned against the door frame.

"Maybe you're just sick," I said. "Or maybe your body is still shocked from last night. I mean, from what you've told me, it was pretty brutal."

"No, I don't feel sick. Weak, but not sick."

"Alright, doc. If you say so."

"I'm not a doctor," he said, getting up.

"Come on, Jack. You were going to..." I started.

"I'm not a doctor!" He repeated loudly before walking out of the bathroom. "And I'll never be one."

*****

Jack was laying on the couch. He hadn't eaten anything since I'd come back a few hours ago. His stomach was grumbling every time he tried to speak. I was behind the counter cutting vegetables for dinner.

"You know," he said. "Maybe the only thing I can eat is rocks."

I laughed. And my knife slipped.

"Ouch."

A drop of blood slid down my finger. I frowned. Turning away from the carrots, I turned on the tap to wash the wound. I was about to ask Jack if he could get me a band-aid from the bathroom when I saw he had moved. He was standing still, a few inches away from me. And he was looking at my hand.

It's crazy how you can really feel it when someone is looking at you. He didn't have eyes! And I could still know _precisely_ what he was looking at. Then I realized why he was scrutinizing my hand like that. I handed him my finger, but he hesitated.

"Come on." I didn't know if pushing him was the right thing to do, but if it could help him, giving away a couple of drops of my blood didn't seem so bad.

Jack tried to say something and I took advantage of his open mouth to spread the liquid across his lips. He looked like his tried putting on lipstick on the back of a rodeo cow. Slowly, his tongue moved on his lips. His head turned to the ground in embarrassment or shame, I didn't know.

A tremor passed through his body for a second before he muttered two words. "I'm sorry." And he ran to the bathroom. Wrapping a tissue around my bloody finger, I followed him.

"I guess it didn't work." I sighed.

"It did," he said, wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his hoodie. "It did work, that's the problem. It tasted _good_ , and it _filled_ me. I... I'm not some kind of vampire, (Y/N)! I can't survive on blood alone!"

He started panicking, talking about vampires and how he would rather starve to death than ask someone for their blood. I knelt next to him to try to comfort him, but he only cringed further away from me.

"Please, I don't want to hurt you." He said, and my heart broke at the same time his voice did. "What if I can't hold myself back and I bite you!"

His hands were twisting and pulling the threads of the bath mat as if he was trying to find something to do with them. His bottom lip was shaking slightly and his face was turned towards anything as long as it wasn't me. My hand reached his shoulder, and I could feel his body flinch from the touch. I cupped his cheek with my other hand and forced him to look at me.

"We're going to find a way. I promise you we're going to get through this. But I need you to calm down first, okay? I can't help you if you're trying to run away from me." Almost as soon as I had stopped talking, Jack's arms flew around my neck. I could hear his breath catching every now and then.

“Eyes closed, breathe in four seconds, hold seven, exhale eight,” I said quietly. I felt his breath against my shoulder. "Do it again."

I helped him to regain a normal rhythm before releasing him from my chest. I tried a smile to reassure him, but he still wasn't looking at me.

"Do you feel any better?" I asked him without letting go of his hands.

"I still feel terrible about the blood thing, but I'm not panicking anymore. Sorry about that. And thank you." He said, freeing one hand to wipe his nose on his sleeve. He should probably wash that hoodie soon or it would smell horrible.

"It's fine. If I were at your place, I would panic too." He smiled weakly.

"Still, thanks. For everything. You didn't have to help me."

"What was I supposed to do? Leave you out there in the woods?"

"You could have just dumped me in my room and leave me to figure everything out."

"Are you kidding me? You're my friend, Jack. Of course, I'm helping you."

"Well, I am thankful that you're my friend, and that you're helping me." He squeezed my hands before letting them go and getting up.

*****

We'd watched movies on Netflix until late that night. At some point, Jack had asked if he could stretch his legs onto my lap. When we had become too tired to even hear what the characters in the movie were saying, I'd rolled off of the couch to sleep on the floor and asked Jack for a cushion to rest my head on. As any good friend should, he'd thrown it at my face. I knew the bed wasn't far from where I was laying, I was simply too tired to get up. And I guess I didn't want to move too far away from Jack.


	6. Big god

[Big god](https://youtu.be/_kIrRooQwuk)

I felt like my entire body had been encased in a giant ice cube for a century when I woke up. I was cold, uncomfortable and every part of me hurt. Groaning, I got up and stretched my arms over my head. The sunlight coming in from the window bathed the whole room in a soft orange glow. The light made the message on the television nearly impossible to see, but I'd read it thousands of times before.

 _Are you still watching?_  
Continue  
Back

I pressed the red button on the remote and the screen turned black.

I walked to the kitchen and placed two slices of bread in the toaster and started some coffee. Looking back at the room, my eyes settled on Jack. With the rays of light, his brown curls looked almost ginger and his skin seemed to be the same color as it was a week ago. With his eyes closed like that, it looked as if nothing had ever happened.

*****

I was half-way through an essay when Jack woke up. He sat up abruptly and started rummaging between the cushions of the couch.

"Good morning?" I said tentatively. The man immediately looked up at me. "Did you lose something?"

"I had a nightmare."

"Oh," I said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Spiders."

It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was probably a good sign if the incident wasn't tormenting him in his dreams too, right? I gave him a few minutes to wake up before talking again.

"I've done a bit of research about skin turning grey and being able to see with no eyes but I haven't found much. I mean, have you been exposed to silver dust for more than forty years? I don't think so!" I sighed. "Do you want me to look up _tuna bog_? We might find something useful..."

"Yes, there might be something about that. You could also try to look up _Russian cult_ or something like that. Thank you."

"Yes, I will. Good idea."

Jack got up and walked up to the cup of coffee sitting on the drawer that I used as a nightstand.

"Can you drink that?" I asked, concerned.

"I don't know, and at this point, I don't even care." He said before taking a big sip of the now cold liquid. When he lowered the cup again, I could see the large smile stretched on his lips. "It tastes good!"

I removed my laptop from my knees and got up from the bed. We were close. I could feel his fingers brush mine as I took the cup from his hands to put it back on the drawer. I'd barely posed it than his arms slithered around me and hugged me tightly.

"Maybe you can eat food, but they just need to be in liquid form," I suggested, hugging him back.

"No, I can't. I tried to eat soup, but it didn't work. But apparently coffee does."

We stayed like that for a little while.

"You know what you should do?" I asked.

"What."

"You should take a shower. When was your last one?"

"Friday morning..."

"It's been two days. After you shower, you'll smell better and you'll feel better."

"Yeah," he sighed. "You're right."

I showed him around the bathroom, telling him which bottle is the shampoo and which is the conditioner, and where the towels were. I was pretty sure his bathroom was the same as mine, but I didn't want him to get lost or something. I knew he wasn't that good with directions. He'd given me the key to his room and told me to go get him things like clothes and his toothbrush. So I'd left him alone in my room to go fetch his things.

His room was on the first floor while mine was on the second. First-floor rooms were a bit bigger, but they were cheaper because you shared the rent with your roommate. The rooms on the second floor were smaller but you had them all for yourself. Jack had warned me about his roommate. Let's just say he liked bringing girls over and keeping them awake all night long, and he probably wouldn't hesitate to do the same with a guy. I knocked on the door, hoping no one would answer and I'd have to use the key. The door opened almost as soon as I had pounded the last knock.

"I told you you wouldn't last two... Who are you?"

"I'm (Y/N). Jack told me to come and get a few of his things cause he's gonna be spending some time with me."

"Oh, I see. I'm Max, by the way. Short for Maximilian." He said, opening the door wider to let me in. "So, are you two dating, or what?"

I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Um, no," I answered quietly.

"Uh-huh," he said, smiling and looking me up and down. "His clothes are in that drawer and his toothbrush is the blue one."

Jack's room was very similar to mine, but it had some differences. There were two beds instead of only one and the television had an actual table all for itself.

"Here is his phone charger, I bet he's gonna need it," Max said, white cord in hand.

"Oh, thanks. That's useful, you're right."

I took a few other things I thought Jack could appreciate having with him, said goodbye to Max, and walked back to my room.

*****

When I got back in my dorm, I could hear the water was still running in the bathroom. I put the plastic bag containing Jack's things on the couch and turned on my computer. I still had a bit of time left to do some research before Jack came out of the shower. I put my earphones in and pressed play on my favorite playlist.

I saw the light illuminate the room before I felt the wave of heat roll over me. I turned my head towards the bathroom and saw Jack's head poking through the cracked door. I unplugged one of the earbuds to listen to his request.

"I don't have any clean clothes."

I searched a bit in the bag to find him something to wear and brought it to him. He closed the door and left me to my research.

He opened the door again five minutes later and sat down next to me on the bed.

"Did you find anything?" He asked me.

"I might have," I answered. " _Tuna bog_ didn't work, and neither did simply _Russian cult_ , but when I searched for that (I clicked on a tab I wasn't using), _Russian god of eyes_ , it led me to a Wikipedia page where there's a list of Russian deities. And I found this."

I pointed to my screen where a few of the gods' names were displayed. Jack looked at me with incomprehension.

"A lot of those names end with _bog,_ which means _god_ in Russian. Now we just need to find which of them sounds the most like _tuna bog_ and we'll be a step closer to understanding all that."

Jack nodded, and we started reciting the names.

It didn't take us that long to pass through the list. I would say the names and Jack would tell me if they sounded like what he had heard. We only found one name that seemed to fit.

 _Chernobog_.

"Who is that?" He asked me, turning his face away from the screen. Little drops of water from his still wet hair fell on my arm.

"Uh, let me check," I said reading the description. "His name basically translates to _Black God_ and he is the evil god or the evil of god."

Jack rubbed his hands over his face and in his hair.

"This isn't good, is it?"

"Probably not."

"So I've been sacrificed to some kind of Russian Satan?"

"I don't think it's the equivalent of Satan. I think it's more like a god that rules over the darkness, both metaphorically and literally. But there aren't a lot of things on this page so I can't say."

He leaned his head on my shoulder and sighed.

"When... After they were done with me, when I was unconscious, I saw something."

"You saw something when you were passed out?"

"Yes, I did. I know it doesn't make sense, but nothing seems to make sense right now so I might as well tell you. When I was unconscious, I remember looking around and seeing the clearing, and a few feet away from me was a very, very tall man. He had grey skin, kinda like me, but his was almost black, and his eyes were yellow and slit, like those of a goat. His hair was long, really long and it was so black it seemed to absorb light and on top of his head was what looked like a crown made of dirty bones and smoke was coming out of it. I felt drawn to him. I felt like I needed to get closer to him. So I did. I just crawled to him. And when I was right in front of him, he crouched to my level and he took my chin in his hand to look at me and he just smiled at me. It didn't seem like he was there to hurt me. He looked... He looked terrifying, of course, but I felt almost safe with him. I think he wanted to tell me something but he just disappeared before he could speak. Then, it was black again and when I woke up, I was in your arms."

He paused for a few seconds.

"At first, I didn't want to tell you because I thought it was a hallucination, but now that I've said it and now that we might have a name for that man, it makes a bit more sense to me. I mean, the man I saw kind of matches the mental image I have of the god of darkness."

We both stayed silent after that, me processing the new information, and him twisting his fingers like he always does when he's nervous.

"Do you want to go out?" I said quietly when I felt the silence was becoming awkward. "We haven't gone out in a few days and you must be getting sick of being inside all the time."

He chuckled lightly at that.

"Yeah, going outside would be great."

And so we went outside. Jack was hiding his face with sunglasses and the hood of a jacket he'd borrowed from me. He'd told me he wasn't sure if he wanted to go if people were going to be staring at his eyes, or lack thereof. We walked to a small park not far away and found a nice little bench in front of a lush green field where people were having picnics and playing with friends.

"Is there anything else you remember but haven't told me?" I said, the words coming out harsh. "I'm not mad, I just want to help you."

"I know, and that's very nice of you. But no, there's nothing I know that I haven't told you. But can we talk about something else please?"

"Oh, sure, of course. What do you want to talk about?"

We were still talking an hour later when a soccer ball came rolling towards us and stopped at Jack's feet. A man about our age followed it.

"Sorry about that!" He said, smiling. I knew his face as we'd done a group project together but I couldn't remember his name. Maybe John?

He grabbed the ball and was about to say something to Jack when he froze. He just stared at him with his mouth half-opened until he closed it and stared at me.

"Sorry again." He repeated before leaving us briskly.

"Well, that was weird," I said turning my head towards Jack, who was already looking at me.

"He saw my face."

Oh no. That was probably the reason why John had behaved that way. I turned my head towards where him and his friend were kicking the ball to find them looking intensely at us. The guy I didn't know then turned to his friend and started speaking. They were far away but I could still catch a few words that had drifted on the breeze.

"... should go, Jim..."

"I want to go back home, (Y/N)," said a voice next to me. My attention immediately turned back to Jack.

I nodded.

*****

"Are you hungry?" I asked him as soon as the door had closed behind us.

"No, not really."

"Okay." I didn't know if he was telling the truth or not but it seemed bad to insist. It was already hard for him to accept that he couldn't eat normal food anymore, I wasn't about to shove my blood down his throat.

I saw him rummage through his belongings in the bag and smile triumphantly.

"You brought my laptop!" He held up the device high above his head as someone would a trophy.

"I figured you would get bored if you didn't have anything to play with. I brought you books, too. And some kind of kit. Your roommate said he didn't want to see it around the room anymore."

"Oh, I know what he's talking about. It's a stitching kit. He hated it, so I kept it to hide around the room. Mostly under his pillow, though." He chuckled.

We spent the most part of the night on our own since I had to finish that stupid essay, and Jack was watching videos on Youtube, giggling occasionally. When I got up to get something to eat, Jack was sleeping, a video still playing. I pushed down the screen and set the computer next to the TV on the drawer so that no one would accidentally step on it.

A strand of curly brown hair was falling in his face. I stopped myself when I realized I was already reaching out for it.

"Good night, Jack," I said instead of touching him.


	7. Dark red

[Dark red](https://youtu.be/L0wusEVceek)

* * *

**(Y/N)**

* * *

My first class wasn't very early, but I still woke up before the sun. I wanted to go get some good coffee at Starbucks instead of the instant coffee I'm used to making in my room. It didn't take long to get ready as I planned to study a bit at the coffee shop. Before leaving, I searched for the old sewing kit my mom had given me before I left for uni and took out a needle.

*****

The day passed by just like any other day. A professor came to tell me about how he didn't receive my essay, which I had handed in the previous night. I had to send him the document again, this time in front of his eyes. That was probably the most exciting part of my day.

Well, that was until I came back to my room.

* * *

**Jack**

* * *

Noon had passed a long time ago when I woke up. Groaning, I rolled off the couch and fell to the ground. My body begged me to stay right where I was, but I desperately needed to pee. I'd already started making my way towards the bathroom when a piece of paper on the coffee table caught my eye.

" _theres food for you in the fridge, crack the window if you dont go outside, have a nice day xo_ "

(Y/N) had nice handwriting. I mean, I could read it without squinting my eyes, and that made it better than mine. Sometimes, even I had trouble reading what I'd written. Being a surgeon did that to you.

I wondered what he meant by "there's food for you in the fridge" so I went to check, and on the top shelf was a shooter glass with saran wrap covering it. The small glass was empty, except for a few drops of blood at the bottom.

My stomach sank when I realized it was (Y/N)'s blood. He was simply too damned generous for his own good. I'd talk to him about that later this evening.

But in a way, the blood was already in the glass, so it wouldn't hurt that dumbass if I took it, right? Carefully, I removed the plastic and gave the glass a twirl.

"Ugh, whatever. Let's get this over with." I lifted the small glass to my lips and drank from it. A week ago, I would have been hungry three or four hours after a big meal, but now, a couple of drops of blood were enough to make me last for days. In a way, it was a good thing. I didn't need to eat a full human body and I was hoping to keep it that way.

Footsteps outside the door yanked me out of my daydream. They were silenced by the old carpeting of the hallway, but I could still hear them clearly. A low rumbling, just like quiet thunder, seemed to be following the footsteps. I prayed it was (Y/N) coming back from his classes, and I prayed that if it wasn't him, the person would go away.

But of course, they didn't leave. The footsteps stopped right in front of the door. And the person knocked. I felt my body seize up with fear. I just stood there, straining my ear to hear any sound. The air grew thick and heavy like a thunderstorm about to break. Thirty seconds passed, then a minute. And then the silence was split by the sound of the doorknob clicking. Whoever was behind the door either had a key, or was picking the lock, but I knew that in both cases, it wasn't (Y/N).

I hadn't even noticed the lights in the room were turned off until the door opened and the light of the hallway came in to blind me. Silhouetted in the doorway stood a figure holding a long stick in its hand.

The shooter glass fell out of my hand and exploded at the bottom of the sink, grabbing the intruder's attention. Instinctively, I searched the drawers next to me for a knife or really anything that could deal any damage against a man with a baseball bat. At this point, I'd figured he probably wasn't here to have a chat over a cup of tea. The man started walking towards me.

"W-What do you want?" I asked as my back bumped against the fridge.

Without warning, he swung the bat at my head. I had just enough time to duck before the wooden stick hit the refrigerator. I crawled away from the man until I was between the bed and the couch.

"I don't understand how you're still alive. You were dead when we left you." He said.

In the eerie light of the broken fridge, I could finally see his face. I knew him. Not personally, but I'd seen him before. Twice. The first time was the night I got sacrificed. I remembered his face from one of the robed silhouettes. The second time was yesterday afternoon, in the park. It was him who came to get the soccer ball.

And apparently, he was mad I wasn't dead.

"Please, I didn't do anything," I begged, threatening him with my small knife. It felt like a toothpick in my hand.

I let out a small yelp as he smacked my hand with the tip of the bat, sending the knife flying. Almost immediately, he swung the bat again. There was no way I could avoid it. I lifted my arms to protect my head, but this time he wasn't aiming at my head. A cry of pain escaped my throat as the bat collided with my thigh. It didn't feel broken but it still hurt like hell.

But I couldn't just lay there and let myself get beaten up. So I got up and ran into the hallway. I'd never ran that fast before, even if a wave of fire burned my leg every time I put my foot down. I was too scared to look back, but I knew that psycho was following me. I could hear his steps pounding on the ground behind me. I was heading towards the elevator but changed my plan when I saw the door to the emergency stairs. This was an emergency after all.

I ran down the flight of stairs and jumped over the last four. I regretted it almost immediately as a thunder-like pain passed through my leg. I pushed the exit door as hard as I could and collapsed on the concrete outside the building. The footsteps were getting louder by the second, so I had no other choice than to get up and run.

There was no one around here. Everyone was in class, and if they weren't, they were lounging in their room or in the park. There was only me and the man in that big open space between the building and the forest. I didn't want to go into the woods, but I didn't know where else to go.

So I ran. Even when I couldn't hear the man behind me anymore. Even when I knew I'd never find my way back. I kept running.

*****

I turned my head to see if he was still following. At first glance, I saw nothing but trees. I finally stopped running and settled for a backward walk, still scrutinizing the woods around me. My head would snap towards anything that made a sound, even if it was only the wind between the leaves. I was so focused on what was happening in front of me that I couldn't do anything when my heel caught on a root and sent me to the ground, knocking the air out of my lungs.

I spent a few seconds trying to breathe properly but the air refused to get back inside my body. When it eventually came back to my lungs, only then did I notice how dry my throat was. And it wasn't just my throat. My whole respiratory system felt like I'd been in a desert for months. I couldn't even feel my legs anymore, except when I touched the place where the baseball bat had struck it.

"Yeah, it might be broken," I muttered, letting my head fall in the dirt. My voice was raspy, and those few words were enough to send me in a coughing fit.

Laying there, in a forest only God knew how big, battered, bruised, dirty, and without my phone to call anyone, I started wondering how long it would take for my missing posters to go around the town.

* * *

**(Y/N)**

* * *

The door to my room was already opened when I came in.

"Jack?" I called. Without waiting for an answer, I stepped into the dorm. My friend was nowhere to be seen.

I continued to advance through the mess the room had become during my absence. The fridge door was open too, and just by the smell of it, I'd need to change at least half of the food inside.

"Jack?" I called again. "If you're playing hide and seek, now isn't a good time."

The couch wasn't in its usual place, and the cushions were on the ground. Next to it, my bed was undone, but that was just because I hadn't cared to do it that morning. I could feel myself growing more and more alarmed.

"Jack probably just went for a walk. And he forgot to close the fridge door. And the room door." I forced myself to breathe calmly. "Now, why the fuck would he do that."

I'd decided to wait for fo him in the room. " _Maybe he really was out for a walk._ " I'd thought. At some point, I tried calling him, but his phone had rung next to me on the coffee table.

*****

It had been two days since he disappeared and I still had no news from him. I couldn't focus in class because of it.

*****

A full week after his disappearance, it had become clear to me that Jack was not coming back.


	8. The woods

[The woods](https://youtu.be/FgopR7vs06k)

* * *

**Jack**

* * *

I had stopped counting the days I'd been lost in this forest a long time ago. Weeks ago, a crazy man had tried to kill me, and I had been forced to flee in the woods. I had spent the first week just walking in random directions, hoping to find a way out. I hadn't seen any. The forest was too big. Eventually, all of my hopes had disappeared, and I'd settled under a big tree where I had quickly started building a shelter. It wasn't much (mostly big branches and garbage I'd found lying around), but I'd survived this long with it, so I was somewhat grateful.

There was only one problem my shelter couldn't help with, and it was my hunger. The last time I'd eaten had been months ago. It was surprising I wasn't dead by now. Though I knew I was getting closer to death by the hour. My entire body ached, but at the same time, I couldn't feel it at all. About three days ago, I had sat with my back against my tree, and ever since then, I had merely been waiting for my death. I hadn't moved.

_Crack_

My head snapped towards the noise. Far enough that she couldn't see me, but close enough that I could see her, there was a woman. She wore a pink and grey camouflage jacket and black leggings, and she was holding something in her hand. The object wasn't big enough to be a cellphone, and it was round. A pocket watch? No. A compass? From the look of it, yes. She was as lost as I was when I got here. The woman seemed to be a hiker, and she looked delicious.

What? No!

Her rosy cheeks were round, and her big brown eyes looked like a deer's. And just like in cartoons, all my stomach could see was a steak on two legs.

Briefly, all the lights of the forest started to burn brighter until everything turned black.

*****

I opened my eyes and was immediately blinded by the light all around me. I lifted my hand to my face to give time to my sight to adjust. There was something on my fingers. Something slimy. Something red. There was blood on my hands, and there was blood on my face. I quickly looked around to find the source of all this gore, and it did not take me long.

The hiker was lying next to me; her unseeing eyes turned towards the sky, her mouth opened in silent shock. Spots of red were splattered on her face and neck and chest, coming from her stomach. It had been torn open from her pelvis to the bottom of her ribcage, showing a mess of blood and bones. Some of her organs were in the wrong place, and some were missing entirely.

"What...?" I let out.

Then, it hit me like a brick. I wasn't hungry anymore.

"Oh, no." Terror settled over me. I'd eaten that woman. " _Nonononono_..."

My hands were already shaking at that point. I stumbled backward. I needed to distance myself from what I'd done, even if I couldn't stop looking at the body. Uncontrollable sobs escaped my throat. I was a killer. And a cannibal.

*****

I was shivering, naked in the small river near my shelter. The sun had set ten minutes ago, but I'd been sitting there for at least an hour, and I'd spent the first half of it just crying. I desperately needed to be clean, and since I didn't have soap, I clawed at my skin to get the dried blood off.

"What am I going to do with her body? I can't just leave it there! What if I do, though? It would make food for animals." I hated myself for having those thoughts, but they were the last thing that prevented me from going insane.

I raised my hands to my face and started scrubbing to get the dry blood off. When I felt I had gotten most of it, I cupped my hands and drank from them. My fingers looked like grey raisins. Usually, that was my cue to get out of the water, but I craved the comfort I felt whenever I laid in a bathtub. Sure, this time, I was in a river, but if I closed my eyes, I couldn't tell the difference.

My hair was tickling my shoulders; it had grown a lot. It was just like how I wore it when I was a kid. If I thought about it hard enough, I could almost hear my mom calling me down for dinner after a long day at school. I could hear my sister playing loudly with her toys in the room next to me. I could hear my dad working in the garage through the open window. I could hear the phone ringing in the living room. It was either my aunt calling my mom to talk for hours on end or (Y/N) who wanted me to come to play with him at the playground near his house.

But when I opened my eyes, I could only see a dark sky behind the trees. The water was cold, and I was alone.

*****

I ended up dumping the lady's body far from my shelter. The blood on the ground might attract some small animals, but at least it wouldn't be wolves or whatever would come looking for meat. That had been a week ago, and I was getting hungry again. So I was getting ready to go to town for a hunt.

I didn't know exactly how far away I was from the town, but the hiker had a map and a compass on her. I might not have a good sense of direction, but I'd learned how to use a map when I was younger. I thought it might impress some girls at school. It turns out it was the first time I was using that skill.

*****

I was glad I left in the morning because the sun was starting to set when I saw the first buildings. I could hear them creak from where I stood on the road. The windows were dark, and some houses even had graffitis on them. There cars in a few driveways, but they were all rusty and covered with moss. When I found a more populated area, I started looking for a house that seemed easy to break into.

The building I settled on was a big apartment complex. Circling it, I noted an open window that would be easy to access if I climbed the fire escape. I started going up the stairs.

Squeezing through the window was a bit hard, but I managed well anyway. The inside of the apartment was a bit small, though you could also describe it as cozy. There were a few plants here and there, and the couch was lovely.

There was a short hallway with a door on each side. One was already open and showed the inside of a dark bathroom. The other had to be a bedroom. Softly, I turned the handle and wished it wouldn't creak when I opened it. Luckily, it didn't.

I could see a form resting in the bed. I gulped down my fear and reached into my pocket for a weapon. My hand closed around nothing at all. I didn't have anything. I crept to the kitchen and came back with a knife.

"Let's do this," I sighed before entering the room.

* * *

**(Y/N)**

* * *

In my dream, the field seemed to stretch on forever under my tired legs. The colors were too bright, and they would often be in the wrong places. There were buildings far away. I knew I would be safe from whatever was running after me if I could reach them. I also knew I wasn't running fast enough. The thing would catch me before.

Why is it that in my dreams, whenever I need to run from something, it always feels like I'm stuck in Jell-O. Why can't I be fast in my dreams?! It was as if someone had put my legs in slow motion. I felt a hand grab my arm, and suddenly, my back hit the ground, and a weight settled on top of me.

When I woke up, my brain still hadn't realized I was not dreaming anymore. So when I opened my eyes and saw a dark figure towering over me and holding something to my neck, I panicked. The old karate lessons I'd taken when I was 8 came back to me, and I immediately sent my fist in the person's stomach. The figure fell to the floor, clutching their abdomen. I quickly grabbed the knife they'd dropped.

"Who the hell are you?!" I yelled at them, backing away until I was against the wall. From where I was, I couldn't see them, only hear their groans of pain.

They kept moaning and cursing for so long I started feeling wrong about how hard I'd punched them. " _It's exactly what they want you to do!_ " said a small voice in my head as I got closer to see if they were okay. As soon as my head had passed the edge of the bed, a fist flew in my face, sending me backward. I brought my hand to my nose almost as a reflex to check if it was bloody. Luckily, it wasn't, but it still hurt like hell.

"Motherfucker!" I spat as I saw them get back up.

"Ha! That was for-" The stranger fell silent when they saw my face. "(Y/N)?"

Even if my sight was blurry because of the tears, and even if it had been three months since I'd last seen him, I'd recognize Jack anywhere.

"What the fuck was that, Jack?"

"I didn't know it was you!"

His hair had grown a lot in the past few months, and he now kept it tied in a messy bun. He'd gotten a lot skinnier, almost to the point where he looked skeletal. And he seemed to have gotten taller, though that might have been because he was standing up and I was sitting on the bed.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" I asked him.

"I was hungry..." He said, looking at his feet.

"So, you wanted to _eat_ me?"

"No, not you personally! But you'd left your window open, and since you live on the second floor, it wasn't that hard to sneak in."

We stayed silent for a few seconds.

"I can go if you want." He said.

"No. Stay. I'm glad you're back from... Wherever you were."

"I was lost in the forest. Deep in the forest."

"The one next to the university?" He nodded. "Why did you stay there so long? Three months is a long time to be lost."

"I would have put you in danger. I didn't just run in there for fun, you know. Some crazy guy came to kill me, and once I was in the forest, I couldn't risk going back to you."

Precisely at that moment, his stomach grumbled, reminding us both why he was here.

"How long has it been since you've eaten something?" I asked softly. "No, wait, I don't want to know before you've had a shower. You'll tell me all that when you're clean."

*****

Jack had been in the bathroom for at least forty-five minutes when I finally heard the water stop. I waited for him on the couch with a cup of coffee. When he got out, his head poked through the doorway, looking around.

"Come here," I called to him.

He looked good. Well, he looked clean. The clothes I'd lent him hung loosely around him. He was always smaller than me, and the months spent in the forest had had their effect on him. I hadn't seen him shirtless, but I knew that under the plush of my hoodie, he was all skin and bones. He came and sat next to me.

"So," he said. "What did you want me to tell you?"

"Anything. Everything."

"Umm, okay..." Jack mostly looked at his hands, but he would often spare glances at me. He didn't know where to start. And it was apparent.

"How about you start with why you left without a word," I suggested.

Jack told me everything. How he got attacked by a murderous man with a baseball bat; his flight to the forest; the days he'd spent wandering around. He slept on a large wooden board that used to be a tabletop. It already had a broken leg when he'd found it, and he had taken the other legs away using a sharp rock. He'd taken it back to his little shelter and propped it on an old tire because he'd heard you should sleep at least five inches above the ground.

And he told me about the hiker. His hands started fidgeting when he reached that part of his story. His voice was softer, and I could see his bottom lip trembling slightly. He didn't talk very long about her, and that was understandable.

I jumped when I saw it was already 3:00 AM. I hadn't realized we'd had been up for so long.

"You want to go to sleep, don't you?" Jack asked, seeing me glance at the clock.

"I have to go to work early tomorrow," I explained. "Well, today, since we're already tomorrow."

He laughed. Fuck, I'd missed his laugh.

"Yeah, you should go sleep now," he said, getting up. "And I should get going. I don't want to bother you more than I already did."

"Where would you go, back in the forest?" I scoffed. "You are staying here, at least for tonight. You've slept on that wooden board for too long, and you deserve a real bed."

He sighed, then smiled.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. Can I hug you?"

His question took me aback a little, but I nodded. He almost threw himself at me without giving me time to getting up from the couch. With his face buried in the crook of my neck, it was easy for me to feel his eyelashes graze my skin. I could feel his breath on my collarbone and his hair on my ear. His body was heavy on my lap, but in a good way. I held him for a long time. I once heard that when someone asks to be hugged, you let them choose when to break away because you don't know how long they need to be hugged for. Just before Jack's finger uncurled from the back of my shirt, I couldn't help noticing how his arms squeezed me tighter, just for a second.

"Thank you," he repeated as he stumbled to get up.

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

"Are you really going to sleep on the couch?"

"Unless you want to sleep in the bed with me," I said, winking playfully at him.

"Yeah, no." He pushed against my chest to make me lay down. "Stay on the couch."

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped me.

"I missed you, Jack," I told him. "And good night."

"I missed you, too (Y/N). Good night."

"There's an unused toothbrush under the bathroom sink. It's yours if you want it."

"Thanks," he said as he walked away.

I draped the throw blanket over my legs and tried falling asleep. Keyword: _tried_. Drinking a full cup of coffee at 2 in the morning wasn't the best idea I'd had. And Jack was back. I had trouble believing it. He hadn't died, alone and in the dark. He was safe at last. He was home.


	9. Fangs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: this chapter contains alcohol consumption.

[Fangs](https://youtu.be/tzv1wMeeYoM)

"Here you go," I said, plastering the biggest fake smile on my face and handing the receipt to the customer in front of me. "Your movie will be in room 8. Enjoy the night."

I glanced at the huge clock hanging in the great hall of the cinema. It had barely moved since I last looked.

" _Come on, (Y/N). Just 35 minutes left. That's only 7 times five minutes. You can do it._ " I thought, already greeting the next customer.

*****

A sigh escaped my throat as I pushed open the door to my apartment. I dropped my keys on the table next to the entrance and continued into the flat. Passing the living room, I saw Jack fast asleep on the couch. My shift did finish quite late, and the bus I took to get back home had a lot of stops. It would have been selfish to expect him to be awake this late.

Plus he needed to rest. Jack had only been back for a couple of days and he'd spent most of them asleep. It must feel like heaven for him to actually sleep on something soft. I remembered how happy he looked when he took a shower the night he came back. I had forced him to sleep in my bed that night and the next morning when he still wasn't up at 2:00 PM, I'd gone to wake him up.

"It was the best night I ever had..." He had muttered, still half asleep.

He's eaten a few times but I'm always the one proposing if he's hungry. I get the feeling he's too embarrassed to ask himself for my blood. Of course, I'm not a fan of stabbing my finger with a needle every day, but I'm even less a fan of watching my friend starve to death.

I went to my room, stopping to the bathroom on the way to brush my teeth. Once in my room, I didn't even take the time to take off my clothes before I fell face-first in my bed.

*****

"You're going out?" Jack asked me when he saw me coming out of my room. I'd spent the whole day in sleepwear, as it was the weekend, but I'd just put on a fun patterned shirt.

"Yeah, there's a party at one of my friend's friend's house. You can come if you want." I replied.

His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

"Oh well, you know," he said. "I don't do well at parties. And since I don't know anyone, I'll just stay by your side all night like a lost puppy."

"Come on Jack." I groaned. "You can't let me go alone! What if someone attacks me?"

"You're a big boy. I'm sure you can defend yourself," he answered back.

"I don't care, I've already made up my mind," I told him as I grabbed his wrist and dragged him towards my room. I could hear him grumbling behind me.

I sat him down on the bed and started looking through my outfits. I skipped past all the boring ones and went directly to the clothes that were nice to look at. With all the black he wore, some color couldn't hurt him. I picked a few shirts for Jack to try on and handed them to him. He took them with a frown on his face.

"Hey, it can't be that bad, it's just a party." I encouraged him. "Or is it that you don't want to spend time with me?" I put on an exaggerated pout to show him just how much that would hurt me.

He sighed.

"You're ridiculous..." He muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said as he took off his black hoodie.

*****

Thankfully, the walk to the party wasn't too long. The air was getting cold outside this time of the year. I hadn't managed to persuade Jack to dress with something else than his hoodie, but I was glad. It would keep him warm. And low as he was wearing the hood, it would hide his face. We could already hear the music from the outside of the house. It was a big house and once you got inside, it seemed even bigger. The ceilings were high and the place was already packed with people. Some were drinking in the kitchen in front of a countertop full of bottles, others were playing games in the living room. At some point, I thought I heard a group cheering from a room down the hallway. They sounded like they were having their own little party in one of the rooms.

"So." I turned to Jack. "Do you want a drink?"

"Uh, sure." He said.

As the night went on, we found ourselves drinking more, playing a game of beer pong, and talking to people - actually, _I_ talked to people. Jack only stood next to me quietly. We also found out the origin of the loud cheering we'd heard when we got there. A few people were having a party of their own in the bathroom.

* * *

**Jack**

* * *

Soon enough, we got pulled into a circle of people in the living room. They were all sat criss-cross on the floor and a bottle spun in the center. I sat down next to a blonde girl I'd talked to earlier that night. (Y/N) sat down on the opposite end of the circle. He looked at me and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. If I still had eyes, I would have rolled them.

The bottle rarely picked me In those types of games, so I wasn't too nervous. Perhaps I should have been.

When came (Y/N)'s turn, he spun the bottle so hard I thought it would never stop. My eyes were fixed on the green glass of the bottle. I let go of a breath I hadn't realized I was holding just as it came to a stop. The bottle was pointing right in the middle of the space between me and the blonde girl. I instinctively stopped moving.

"I think it landed on you." A high-pitched voice said, coming from my right.

I turned towards her.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure it's leaning more towards you." I countered.

"Jack." I faced (Y/N). "Get over here."

I swallowed hard, and knee walked to him. I could hear the people around us whispering between themselves. When I got in front of him, I sat on my heels. 

Until then, I hadn't realized what the implications of kissing him in front of so many strangers would be. Our bodies were close. I don't think I'd ever realized how (E/C) his eyes really were. I could feel my heart beating faster in my chest.

"I hate you," I murmured, not believing a word of it.

"I know..." (Y/N) responded with a smug face. His breath stank of alcohol.

The tip of his fingers grazed my cheek. They barely touched it but I could feel their pull deep within me. I let him bring my lips to his. His palm cupped my cheek completely, and from there it was easy to forget everything.

The kiss itself was way more tender than I'd expected it to be. His mouth was intoxicating and not only because of the drinks we'd had. I guess I had drunk more than I thought because I remember thinking how simple it would be to get lost in the kiss.

I heard (Y/N) let out a shaky breath when I pulled away. Remembering where we were, I shuffled back to my place in embarrassment. My heart was beating uncontrollably fast. The people around us were still laughing as the bottle spun again. I didn't give it any of my attention; all of it was focused on the man across the circle. We watched a few more rounds of kisses. Some were quick, while others were sloppy, with tongue and prying hands.

My mind kept wandering back to the kiss I had just shared. If he had liked it, (Y/N) didn't shown it. He wasn't looking at me at all. After a few rounds, he started looking almost bored. His eyes drifted, met mine. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. I smiled back. He got up and I was quick to follow him.

"I need a drink," he said.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" I asked him. He gave me a crooked smile.

"We're here to have fun, aren't we?" He asked in return.

I let him drive me to the counter holding all the liquor bottles. I declined when he offered me a red plastic cup. Somewhere in the distance, we heard a yell, followed by a splash. Through the kitchen window, I saw a head emerging from the pool in the backyard. (Y/N) turned towards the window.

"They have a pool?" The same crooked smile reappeared on his face.

"You're not going swimming, it's freezing outside," I replied.

"Relax. We're just gonna go lay down in the grass or something." He said, slurring his words.

I followed him outside. Vapor was floating just above the water of the pool. A few fratboys looking guys were drinking beers around the pool while some were in the pool. I hoped for them the pool was warmed.

We settled in a quiet spot, where the lush grass wasn't too patchy. (Y/N) laid down on the ground and I sat at his side. The sky was beautiful. Full of stars and the moon shone softly through the passing clouds.

"I'm glad you're back. And still alive." His words cut me out of my reverie.

"So am I." I smiled.

We stayed silent for a minute. I could feel his gaze on me.

"Do you want to go somewhere else? Just the two of us." He said, wiggling his eyebrows again.

"Stop doing that! It looks like you're trying to seduce me."

"Is it working?"

"No, it's not."

"I think it is."

"Whatever."

"You didn't answer me."

"Sure, let's go. This place is getting boring anyway."


	10. Kids with guns

[Kids with guns](https://youtu.be/VCkFSe3voRc)

* * *

**Jack**

* * *

(Y/N) went back inside the house the get his coat and say goodbye to people while I waited outside the house. When he came back, a broad smile stretched his lips.

"So, where are you taking me?" I questioned him.

"You'll see." He winked at me, then took my hand and started walking.

I didn't know where my friend was taking me but I trusted him. He knew the city better than I did after all. We walked silently for a few minutes. Our footsteps and the low buzzing of the streetlights were the only things breaking the silence. When we finally reached our destination, (Y/N) let go of my hand and started running in front of me, soon disappearing down a narrow path hidden between a few thin trees. I followed his laugh into the small forest.

On the other side, a children's playground stood tall. (Y/N) was already climbing up the once red plastic stairs. When he got to the top, he waved at me and yelled:

"You're it!"

The alcohol in my body made it easy to forget the stress of the past months.

*****

We played for at least an hour on the playground. It reminded me of when we were still kids chasing each other on the playground near my old house. We had invented so many games there, and every day the rules would change a bit until the game was totally different at the end of the week.

"Are you sure you'll catch me?" (Y/N) asked me from the top of the structure.

"I promise you!" I answered him, my two feet planted in the sand.

He jumped. My arms were raised and I was ready to catch him. And I would have, if his shirt hadn't flown up, revealing the (S/C) color of his stomach. I couldn't be sure of what I had seen as it had only lasted a fraction of a second, but right next to his belly button was a dark purple spot. It distracted me so much I didn't even realize I had to catch (Y/N) until his body slammed into mine and sent us both down in the sand.

His body was shaking on top of mine as I struggled to catch my breath back. After a few moments of labored breathing, I managed to ask him if he was alright.

"You were supposed to catch me!" He exclaimed, giggling.

"I'm sorry."

We stayed there a few more minutes, just breathing in each other's scent. Then, (Y/N) raised his head from my chest and looked at me in silence.

"I kinda want to do something stupid," he said quietly.

I had seen movies where one of the characters tell that same sentence to another character and most of the time, these scenes ended with a kiss. And I was not ready for a second kiss with him on the same evening.

"I- I think we should go home," I responded.

He blinked, then smiled.

"You're right." He got up and once he was standing, he extended his hands towards me so I could do the same.

We walked in awkward silence back to the house. At some point, I turned to him. He wasn't looking at me.

"Where did you get that bruise on your stomach?" I asked.

He turned towards me with a surprised look on his face.

"You're going to think it's dumb, but I bumped into the refrigerator while I was opening it the other day." He chuckled to himself.

"You should be more careful," I warned him.

"I know, I'm... clumsy." His gaze was turned to his feet for most of the walk home.

*****

"You're not sleeping on the couch!" (Y/N) argued, even though he was already tucked in his bed. "It's a big bed, there's room for two." He continued. It was as if he was reading my thoughts.

"At least, put on some pajamas," I told him, laughing lightly.

"I'll change in the morning..." He mumbled sleepily.

I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and when I came back, (Y/N) was already snoring. I crawled over my friend, wary to not step on him, and settled under the covers.

* * *

**(Y/N)**

* * *

Two or three days later, I was glad to come back from work and find Jack still awake in front of the television.

"Go get dressed," I told him. "We're going somewhere."

"Another party?" He guessed, his face pleading for me to say no.

"No, not this time."

"Is it a date, then?"

"It might be," I winked at him.

*****

"Are you going to tell me where you're taking me?" Jack asked me as we sat on the bus seats.

"Not until we get there." I smiled innocently. "I'm not taking you to a dark and remote part of the city to murder you, though. So relax a bit, will you?"

I heard him sigh next to me.

*****

The bus dropped us off in front of the cinema a few minutes after midnight.

"You're taking me on a movie date?" My partner scoffed.

"You wish it was a date." I teased him, dragging him along behind the building.

I took my keys out of my pocket and inserted it in the lock of the back door reserved for employees. It unlocked with a click. Pushing it open, I stepped out of the way and gestured to Jack to step inside. I locked the door behind us and lead him to the great hall. The whole place was dark and unusually empty. I was so used to seeing it buzzing with life that it felt almost eerie. The hall and the hallways were dimly lit by the few luminous movie posters and the moonlight coming in through the glass ceiling.

"What kind of movie are you taking me to? A romantic one or- Oh, my god!" Jack pointed to the outline of the food counter. "Can I have a slushie? Please!"

"I'm not supposed to run the machine after certain hours," I explained to him. "Plus, it takes two hours to be ready. We can wait here for two hours if you want, or we can go watch a movie."

His face contorted into a frown.

"Nah, I'll be fine without a slushie, thanks."

I guided him down a dark hallway and showed him to one of the movie rooms.

"Choose a seat, I'll go set up the movie and I'm coming back just after," I told him.

"Alright." He was already walking up the carpeted stairs.

I ran to the control room to put on the movie. Jack had told me multiple times that he wanted to see that movie. In fact, he told me every time the trailer appeared on the television screen. As soon as the movie was set up, I sprinted back to the room.

I went up the stairs two at a time until I reached the row in which Jack was seated. He wasn't that hard to find since we were the only two in the room. I pushed down the chair next to Jack's and sat down, still panting from my short run.

"You took so long, I was starting to think you went home and left me here." He whispered to me. I guess even if we were alone together, the laws of a theater still applied.

"Oh, come on! I wasn't even gone that long." I answered him in the same hushed tone.

"Yes, you were."

"Ok, maybe I was, but now shut up. The movie is starting."

*****

Once the movie was over, we walked out of the building still giggling. It felt like an eternity since I had seen Jack laugh that much. In the parking lot, we zigzagged between the few cars that had stayed. They probably belonged to customers from the nearby fast-food restaurant. I took my phone out of my pocket to check when the next bus would be here.

"So the next bus will be there in ten minutes. We better hurry," I announced.

"Uhm... I think I'm going to walk home."

He was still smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes anymore.

"Are you sure?" I asked him. "Do you know the way back?"

"Yeah, I remember it from the bus ride. I'll be fine. Now go, or you'll miss your bus!" He pushed me towards the bus stop.

"Alright, be safe."

"Don't worry about me."

* * *

**Jack**

* * *

I had been walking for at least fifteen minutes before I decided I was far enough to let out a frustrated scream.

"I mean, I'm not even in love with him so why am I so mad if he has a secret boyfriend?" I muttered angrily. "It's not like he's been flirting with me for the past week anyway."

When he had turned on his phone, I had seen his background was a picture of him with another guy. They were kissing under a tree. The picture had to be recent because some of the leaves were starting to turn yellow, and as I looked around me, most trees had orange leaves.

"I can't even be mad at him; I was gone for three months! Of course, he found someone in three months."

I sat down on the sidewalk to take a breath.

"This is so dumb..." I groaned.

I toyed with a few rocks on the road before exclaiming:

"I'm not even gay!"

As I raised my head, I saw a couple walking on the other side of the street. Reasonably, they were sparing me alarmed looks. I looked back down.

"This is so dumb," I repeated.

Sighing, I turned my gaze at the night sky. There were significantly less than when I was in the forest, but there were still a lot. I could recognize some of the most well-known ones but the others were a mystery to me. Since I had come back from the forest, I had started to question my sexuality. I had dated girls before, and I had truly liked them. But I'd never dated a guy. When I looked back on my childhood and my teenage years, I found a few moments that could be considered gay. So why was I so bothered by (Y/N) kissing a guy?!

"I'm homophobic..." I realized as terror settled over me.

Right then, up in the sky, appeared a shooting star. I had never been the superstitious kind, but I quite liked wishing upon shooting stars.

"I wish that my life would be fucking easy for once," I whispered to the star.

I watched it fall and fall and fall until it landed on the concrete between my knees. Dumbfounded, I watched the cigarette butt light out on its own.

"Oh, sorry!" Shouted a man from above. He was bent over a small balcony a few floors over me.

"It's fine," I shouted back.

*****

The rest of the walk was pretty uneventful if you don't count the cute cat I saw. It was big, black and very fluffy. As soon as I saw it, Ibeckoned it to come closer. I petted it for a short while before my ears turned so cold I couldn't even feel them anymore. I pulled my hood up and said goodbye to the cat.

When I got back home, (Y/N) was already asleep in his bed. I didn't have anything to do, so I went to the bathroom.

As I was brushing my teeth, a coppery taste arose in my mouth. Combined with the menthol of the toothpaste, it created a rather horrible taste. I quickly rinsed my mouth and opened it wide in front of the mirror. There it was. In the back of my mouth, I could see one of my teeth hanging to my gums by a thread. I pulled on it swiftly and dropped it on the counter next to the sink. I couldn't believe it. I was losing my teeth again, just like a child.

"I'm too tired for this, " I sighed. "I'm just gonna go to bed."

So I did just that.

* * *

**(Y/N)**

* * *

I was relieved to see Jack on the couch when I woke up. He'd gotten home safely. I walked into the bathroom but stopped dead in my tracks.

"Jack?" I called loudly. "Jack!"

I heard him moving in the living room.

"What?" He grumbled tiredly.

"Can you explain this to me?"

"Explain what?" His head peaked through the doorway and he saw what I was pointing at. "Oh, that."

"Yes, that. Why is there a tooth next to a sink full of blood?"

"Well, I don't have one of those little plastic pirate chest kids put their teeth in so I didn't know where to put it. Also, it was really late and I just wanted to sleep. And sorry about the sink." He explained.

"I get that but I meant why isn't it in your mouth?"

He opened his mouth to say something but simply shrugged instead.

"Which one is it?" I asked him.

He pointed to a spot in the back of his mouth.

"That one." He said, his finger still in his mouth.

I tried to see clearly but his finger blocked the view. I grabbed his hand and pulled it down.

"Jack."

"What."

"Are you kidding me? There's a tooth right there."

He pushed me gently to look at himself in the mirror. His brows furrowed while he searched.

"But... It fell yesterday. I can't be making this up!"

His face got closer to the glass while he squinted to get a better view. He looked a bit ridiculous like that.

"Wait. It's pointy." He said faintly.

"What do you mean, _it's pointy_?" I asked.

"I mean _it's pointy_. Look!"

He turned his face towards mine and I took a step back by reflex. But he was right. The tooth in his mouth did look very pointy.

"Maybe you're turning into a shark," I joked. "Grey skin, pointy teeth. The next thing will be a fin on your back."

Jack finally closed his mouth and looked at me disappointingly. We stayed silent for a few seconds.

"So..." He started. "Who is the man in your phone background?"

His question took me by surprise.

"He's my boyfriend, Brian."

"Oh, that's great, congrats." He was looking down at his feet. "How long have you two been dating?"

"About two months."

"Congrats." He repeated, before leaving the room.

*****

He spent the rest of the morning avoiding me, but in my small apartment, it was hard to do so. The few times we were in the same room, he barely talked to me, speaking only in brief sentences. When I came back from work, he was already sleeping.

Later that night, I had trouble falling asleep. Maybe it was because the couch wasn't very comfortable. I laid wide awake, my feet dangling over the edge of the sofa.

About two hours passed before I started feeling drowsy. I closed my eyes, hoping to eventually get some sleep when I heard the first bang. My eyes shot open. I sat up straight and looked at the door from where the sound had come. It came another time:

**BANG**

Knocked out of my torpor, I jumped off the couch and ran to my room where Jack was sleeping.

"Jack! Wake up!" I shook him awake.

A third thump resonated in the house, and this time I heard the door fly open and bang the wall behind it.

"What the fuck was that?!" He questioned me.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's here to hug us. Let's go."

I pulled him out of the bed by his arm and dragged him into the hallway. I pushed him into the end of the hallway, towards the window that led to the fire exit. Footsteps echoed from the other end of the hallway. I turned my head to face the origin of the sound and saw a man. I couldn't see very well in the darkness, but distinguish the silhouette of a tall man clearly holding a gun in his right hand. Behind me, I heard Jack slip out of the window and rushed to follow him. I still had one leg inside when I heard the man shoot. He missed, but I knew if I didn't get out of there quickly, he wouldn't miss the second shot.

I practically ran down the rusted ladder and when I was down on the ground, I took a second to look up. The man's shadow turned away and walked back into the dark of the apartment.

"Now, what do we do?" Asked Jack. "He's probably going to come back, don't you think?"

I thought for a second, then grabbed his hand and started running.

"Where are we going?!"

"Shut up and follow me."

We ran for what seemed like hours, weaving between the houses. A black mini-van kept following us, but we weren't on the streets. We ran behind the houses and in dark alleys where it couldn't see us.

At one point, we jumped over a backyard fence and found ourselves in the middle of a barbeque party. People stopped talking to look at us. Jack waved at them. I realized how weird it must have been for them to see two sweaty, out-of-breath guys crashing their party.

"Please, don't mind us," I begged.

They resumed their activities, but I could feel the awkwardness we'd thrown over them still lingered.

We kept running through people's backyards until we met a fence too tall to climb. I turned my head to look between the house and the fence. On the street, the black car passed slowly in front of the home. I looked at Jack and then behind me. There was a wall of bushes. The spot where the cedars met the white fence was big enough for us to squeeze through. I looked back at my friend and he realized what I was thinking about. His eyes widened but he didn't have time to react as I was already pulling him through the trees.

"Tell me where we're going." He demanded as he yanked his hand free of my grasp.

"Unless you want to get caught by the Men-in-Black-looking guys that are following us, I need you to trust me and run."

"Do you at least know where you're going?" Jack asked as we started scurrying through backyards again.

"I do," I confirmed. "At the end of the street, there's a forest. We're going on the other side of that forest."

We kept running, this time in front of the houses. That way, it would be easier when we reached the end of the street. At the end of the street, another road crossed it horizontally. Only a few houses separated us from the forest when the black mini-van turned on this street. Jack pulled me behind a parked car so fast I didn't realize it until I was crouched next to him. His hand was pressed to mouth and he was peaking at our pursuers through the car window. I'd never seen him look so serious before. His brows were slightly furrowed and his lips were pinched together. As the black car moved, we shuffled around the parked car to stay out of sight.

After what felt like an eternity, the black car disappeared behind a turn of the street. We took one final sprint to the forest. We wandered between the dark trees for about fifteen minutes before we saw the end of the dirt path. From there, we didn't really have to run anymore, but we kept a quick walking pace. When we reached our destination, we found ourselves in the middle of yet another suburban neighborhood. I led Jack behind one of the houses. On the patio, in front of the backdoor, I lifted the doormat.

"What are you...?" Jack asked me.

"This is my boyfriend's house, it's fine." I took the key and unlocked the glass door before stepping inside the dark house. "Be quiet, he's probably asleep."


	11. Nothing's gonna hurt you baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: this chapter contains domestic abuse.

[Nothing's gonna hurt you baby](https://youtu.be/QI8VrXkffcg)

* * *

**???**

* * *

The whisper was so low I didn't understand what the man had said.

"You what?" The voice of the woman sitting next to me boomed in the dark room.

"We lost them." Repeated the man, louder this time. His head was bent in respect or shame. Maybe both. Probably both.

You lost _them_?" The woman's cold voice echoed. "I told you to get me the boy, and only the boy."

"There was someone else with him, madam. A (H/C)-haired man."

The woman leaned back in her chair, the leather creaking slightly under her weight. She stayed silent for a minute, thinking. Her long manicured fingers rhythmically tapping the arms of the chair were the only thing breaking the silence.

"Then bring him to me too," she ordered. "He could be useful in the long run."

* * *

**(Y/N)**

* * *

Once Jack and I were inside the house, I closed the door behind us and locked it. We found ourselves in a dark dining room. To our left, there was a small kitchen and in front of us was the living room. The television was turned on. An old sitcom played on the screen, illuminating the couch on which my boyfriend, Brian, was sleeping. I turned to Jack and put my finger in front of my mouth to show him to be quiet.

"Follow me," I whispered to Jack.

We walked through the living room, behind the couch, and into the front hall where the staircase was situated.

"Be careful on that one," I warned Jack as we went up the stairs. "It's squeaky."

I led him to the guest bedroom where he sat on the bed. I sat next to him.

"Do you know who those guys were?" He asked me.

"There were several?" I had only seen one man, but at the same time, I didn't really have the time to analyze how many people were behind the tinted windows of the black car.

"Well, there was the one who broke into your house, and there was the driver. I didn't see any others, but there might have been more."

I thought for a second.

"No, I don't know them. Do you?"

He began to shake his head but stopped mid-movement.

"They were after me," he realized.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"They probably want me dead. Just like the guy at the university."

I furrowed my brows.

"But, the guy at the university was just a random student. Those guys were scary, they looked like professionals."

"Maybe," he sighed." Maybe all of this is much bigger than we thought. And if it is, I need to leave. I could put you, and now your boyfriend, in danger by staying. Have you seen that guy? He had a gun!"

"You're not leaving. You have nowhere else to go anyway. I know you're scared but I can't just throw you out on the streets because people are after you. You're my friend, Jack!"

He looked down at the floor but didn't say anything.

"We can figure all this tomorrow if you want," I told him. "Right now, you probably just want to sleep."

"Yeah, I do," he answered with a tired smile.

"Alright." I grabbed his head and gave him a quick kiss on the temple. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

**Jack**

* * *

I didn't sleep a lot that night. I tossed and turned in the bed for a long time, and when I finally fell asleep, I had nightmares. In my dreams, an invisible enemy was chasing me. I woke up sweaty and panting hard. I sat up and looked around the unfamiliar room. I felt weirdly alone in this big dark house.

The room was small and the walls were a powdery blue. It was probably a nursery at some point, before becoming a guest bedroom. There were some boxes stacked up in a corner, and a wooden drawer was placed against a wall. Sighing, I pushed the covers off my legs and stood in front of the window for a while. It faced the backyard of the house. There wasn't much to see. I'd already seen the patio when we entered the house, but I hadn't looked at the rest of the yard. A few trees were acting as a fence in the back and there was a little shed near the corner.

I turned back and decide that if I couldn't sleep, I'd go explore the house. In front of the guest room was a bathroom and on my left, at the end of the hall, was (Y/N)'s room. I turned right and went down the stairs, avoiding the creaking one.

Brian was still snoring on the couch. I passed by him silently. Between the kitchen and the wall behind which was the staircase, there was a hallway I hadn't seen when I first walked there. The only thing down that hall was a door that led to another bathroom. This one had a washing machine and a dryer. It had a simple bathtub, unlike the bathroom upstairs which had a tub and a shower.

Once I was done pacing the house, I went back to my room and tried to get some more sleep.

*****

I must have fallen asleep at some point because I woke up to the sound of someone talking loudly on the other side of the wall. I couldn't pick up what the person was saying but I could tell they were annoyed. There was a pause, and I could recognize (Y/N)'s voice talking in a normal tone of voice. It sounded like he was trying to explain something to the other person - probably Brian - but again, I couldn't hear them well.

After a few minutes, I heard Brian say something and there was an edge in his voice indicating that the conversation was over. Footsteps resonated through the wall, then a door slammed shut. I waited until the footsteps were at the bottom of the stairs to sneak into (Y/N)'s bedroom.

He was sitting on the bed when I entered the room. He wasn't showing any signs of hurt but something about him felt off.

"Are you okay?" I asked him softly. "I heard some yelling."

"Yeah, I'm okay."

I was about to ask him what happened but he spoke before I could.

"I'm going downstairs. I'm hungry."

And he did just as he said.

Down in the kitchen was the first time I really took the time to look at Brian. He had short brown hair a few shades lighter than mine and a square figure. He probably went to the gym often. He was busy buttering up two toasts on a plate while (Y/N) was already sat at the table with two other toasts. He had a bit of a "boy next door" look and I could see what his boyfriend found in him.

"That's him?" He asked (Y/N) as he pointed the butter knife towards me. The latter nodded.

Brian dropped the knife on the countertop and wiped his hands on his pants before walking towards me. He stopped two feet in front of me. His eyes scrutinized my face for at least a full minute after which I could only say:

"Hello. I'm Jack."

He looked at me for a few more seconds.

"So he really doesn't have eyes, huh?" Even though he was looking straight at me, he wasn't talking to me.

"I told you he doesn't," (Y/N) responded from his seat at the table.

I felt like an ant under Brian's stare. He was taller than me by at least half a foot. The longer he stared at me the more awkward I was. I kept quiet, but my hands were fidgeting with the bottom of my shirt. I spared a quick glance at (Y/N) but he was too busy blowing on a steaming cup of coffee to help me.

I started breathing again when Brian finally turned away from me. He took his plate on the counter and walked to the table at the same time (Y/N) got up to wash his now empty plate.

"Are you hungry?" My friend asked me.

"Yes, a bit," I answered.

Almost immediately, I heard him swear quietly.

"You okay?" Brian asked him.

"Yeah, I just cut my finger on that knife," his boyfriend answered. He turned to me. "Can you help me? I don't want to put blood everywhere in the bathroom while I look for the bandages."

"Sure," I answered.

*****

"You need to stop doing that," I told (Y/N) when the bathroom door closed behind us.

"I don't want you to be hungry," he said as he sat on the countertop next to the sink and presented his finger to me.

"I spent three months without eating anything. I can go a few days without you carving your finger open."

"I don't know if you remember, but you were so hungry after these three months that you ate a woman without even realizing it. I don't want you to be hungry like that ever again." He pushed his finger towards me. "Now eat before it dries."

I sighed and put my mouth on his finger. I hated this. It was probably the most embarrassing thing I'd done in my whole life.

"I really preferred the shooter glass technique," I told him once I was done.

(Y/N) turned around to wash his hands and pointed to a cabinet next to his leg.

"Can you get me the bandages, please? They're in there."

"So you told Brian about me?" I asked him as I was looking in the drawer for a box that wasn't empty.

"I told him most things except that you eat... what you eat, and I didn't tell him about the sacrifice. Also, I told him you were in another city these past months, not lost in the woods."

Once I found a box with plasters in it, I grabbed one and got up from my crouching position.

"What about those men who were following us?"

"I told him a burglar broke in my house and since he had a gun, we ran away," my friend explained as I wrapped his finger.

The cut wasn't too deep, but it ran almost all the way from the tip of his finger to the palm of his hand. The end of the cut was barely a scratch, but I would still need a second bandaid to cover the bleeding area.

"He didn't ask why we didn't go to the police instead?" I asked him as I looked for a second bandage.

(Y/N) chuckled.

"No, he didn't. I guess it gave him an ego boost to know I feel safer here than at the police."

"Do you?" I raised my gaze from his hand to meet his eyes. He gave me a puzzled look so I added: "Feel safer here."

"Yes. It's not like the police could do anything now that the _burglars_ are gone."

I let go of his hand.

"You're right," I said, before walking out of the bathroom.

When I got back in the kitchen, Brian was nowhere to be seen. " _Good,_ " I thought.

"Where did Brian go?" I asked (Y/N), even though I didn't really care.

"He probably left for his job," he answered after checking the clock on the wall. "He works at some kind of big company as an assistant or something."

"That's not very precise," I noted.

"Well, he doesn't talk much about his job. But I know that it pays a lot. That's how he can afford such a big house. That and his parents' money."

So he's a trust fund kid. That's rich.

* * *

**(Y/N)**

* * *

Jack was on the couch when I came downstairs from my shower. I had to leave for my job sooner now because Brian's house was farther away and the bus ride was different than my usual one. He was sitting with his leg crossed and a thick book rested on his ankles.

"What are you reading," I asked him as I got closer to the couch.

He looked up at me.

" _The Lord of the rings_." Saying this, he showed me the book cover.

"That's cool. I'm leaving soon so I just wanted to tell you, you can do pretty much anything in the house but there's one exception. Do not, under any circumstances, touch Brian's vinyl collection. He freaks out if I touch it, so if you, a guy he met this morning, touch it, he might set himself on fire or something."

Jack smiled at the thought.

"Alright, I won't touch it," he said, though his smile still lingered.

Then it hit me like a truck. I'd really missed him. Like, a lot. I hadn't realized how alone I had felt until now.

"What?" Jack asked me. "Is there something on my nose?"

"No," I reassured him. "I just like your smile."

His mouth fell open and he buried his face in the book to hide the blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Shut up," he muttered.

"And I like your hair too," I continued. "It's nice when you let it down. It really suits you."

"Shut up! Go away! You'll miss your bus."

I laughed at his embarrassment.

"Alright then." I went to the front door, from where I could still see the couch. "Have a nice day."

"Have a nice day, too," he said almost aggressively.

* * *

**Jack**

* * *

Brian came back towards the end of the afternoon. I greeted him nonchalantly and he did the same. For a few minutes, he stood behind the couch watching the show on the television. I tried my best to not acknowledge him, but the longer he stayed, the harder it was. There was some kind of awkward energy coming off of him that made it difficult to be in the same room as him for a long time.

"What are you watching?" He asked, breaking the thick silence.

"A show I started a few months ago, but I kind of forgot about it after I graduated," I improvised a bit with what I knew (Y/N) had told him. In reality, I had to stop because someone had tried to kill me and I had fled into a forest where I stayed for three months.

Brian kept looking at the TV for a few more seconds after which he finally walked away. The squeaky stair groaned, telling me that he was going upstairs. I hoped he would stay upstairs, but I heard the stairs creak again and let out a silent sigh. He walked back into the living room and plopped down on the couch next to me. He extended his arm to grab the remote and paused my show. He hadn't even talked yet and I was already irritated.

"So, tell me. Why is your skin grey?" If I still had eyes, I would roll them so far in my head, it would hurt me. "I know (Y/N) didn't tell me everything."

"And what did he tell you?" I asked him back, trying to win some time.

"He said that you weren't born like that, that you're very sensitive about it and to not ask you why your skin is grey." He was looking at me so intensely I was almost scared he might be trying to read my thoughts.

I blinked.

"Well, it's..."

"Personal?" He cut me mid-sentence.

"...Yes." If it could save me some explanation, I didn't mind him interrupting me.

I pressed the play button on the remote and tried to focus on the show. Brian stayed on the couch for about half an hour. He was watching me and the television equally. When he got up, he stretched his arms over his head and walked to the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" He asked me from behind the counter.

"No, not really," I answered.

He looked at me again.

"You don't eat much do you?" He started rummaging through the kitchen to find something to eat.

"I guess I don't," I replied.

"You should. You're too skinny and girls don't like skinny guys."

Okay, so now he's giving me relationship advice.

"I don't gain weight easily," I countered.

"You should eat meat," he said, his head in a cupboard. "And protein. That's going to help you gain muscles. I could make you a milkshake."

"No thanks."

"They're good, I promise," he said, his head poking over the countertop as he got up again.

*****

Brian ate his meal alone in his room, and I stayed downstairs for the rest of the night. I watched the show's last episode around eleven and was a bit disappointed by the ending. I was expecting more of it. I got up and stretched my arms over my head, making my shoulders pop. I yawned as I walked to the back door. Outside, the yard looked like it had been dipped in a jar of black paint. I pushed the glass door open and stepped outside. The cold air immediately lashed at my exposed skin.

It already felt like weeks ago when I thought of yesterday night. Those men who had followed us, I wondered who they were. Why did people suddenly want to kill me since I'd been sacrificed to that Russian deity? I wanted to go on a walk. I always went on walks when I needed to clear my mind but lately, my walks had only brought me more stress. I had gone on a walk the night I'd gotten sacrificed, and I had gone on a walk when I'd learned (Y/N) was dating someone.

"Oh, my God," I whispered as I realized. "That's how they knew where I was! They probably saw me and followed me back to (Y/N)'s house."

I made a sound halfway through a sigh and a groan. On the other side of the house, I heard the front door open. I looked inside and saw (Y/N) removing a scarf from around his neck. He smiled when he saw me.

"Stay indoors, the cold's gonna get in," he warned me.

I apologized and went back inside the house.

"What are you doing up so late? It's nearly midnight."

"Really?" I looked at the clock on the wall and sure enough, it would soon be midnight. "I guess I was waiting for you."

His eyebrows shot up.

"You didn't have to." A subtle blush spread across his cheeks slowly.

"I wanted to see you before I went to sleep." I cupped his cheek with my hand and his blush worsened. Good. I wanted to get my revenge from this morning.

He smiled shyly.

"Thank you, I'm glad you stayed." He walked out of my hand and went to the kitchen.

Despite his blush, he didn't seem so affected by my act. I pouted.

Behind me, (Y/N) was making himself a bowl of cereal. I turned around.

"Alright, well, um," I stuttered. "I'm gonna go to sleep now."

"Good night," he said between two mouthfuls of cereal.

I ran up the stairs and into the guest bedroom.

*****

The next two or three days I spent at Brian's were calmer. I found that my first impression of Brian was wrong. In his own way, he was trying to help me when he proposed to make me a protein milkshake, and he had probably just been curious when he asked me why I had grey skin. With the hours he and his boyfriend work, they don't see each other a lot. (Y/N) gets back when Brian is already sleeping and he wakes up alone because Brian has already left. He was probably just feeling lonely when he sat next to me on the couch.

Or so I thought.

One evening, a few hours before (Y/N) would be back, I took a shower. I took longer than usual that day, and when I went to my room afterward, I assumed the reason Brian was sitting on my bed was to confront me about wasting hot water or something. I stopped in the doorframe and looked at him with confusion. I had only a towel around my body. He got up and crossed the space between us in a few steps.

"What are you..."

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" He stopped only a couple of inches in front of me. I had to crane my neck to look him in the eyes. "Playing hard to get."

"What are you talking about?" That man was crazy.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

He grabbed my arms and pushed me out of the room against the wall of the hallway. At that moment, I was so glad I had tied a knot with the towel's corner because otherwise, it would have fallen to the ground. I tried to wiggle out of his grip but his hands were like iron clasps around my wrists. My stay in the woods with no food had made me way too thin and even if I had my usual strength, he would still be stronger than me.

"Stop it, let me..."

His lips swooped down on mine greedily. He kissed me vigorously while I tried to squirm away from him. His knee was stuck between my legs and because of the wall behind me, I didn't have enough momentum to kick him. I tried to tell him to back off but it only came out as a moan, which he took as an opportunity.

"I knew you liked that," he whispered between two kisses. I was still trying to catch my breath when Brian kissed me again, this time with more aggressivity.

Tears started welling up behind my eyelids. I didn't want this! But apparently, he thought I did. His rough hands would surely leave bruises on my arms and even if I fought my hardest against his body, my assailant still kept me pinned to the wall. I couldn't see any way out of this.

Until he slipped his tongue inside my mouth. Now you're asking: _Jack, why the fuck would that be a good thing?_ Let me remind you that I've been losing my teeth lately, and they've been growing back _very_ pointy. So I took my chance.

I bit his tongue.

His reaction was immediate. He backed away promptly and brought up a hand to his mouth. His lips were darker than usual. Maybe it was due to the rough kiss, but I was ready to bet on that nasty bite I'd just given him. I could taste his blood in my own mouth, and it felt good to know I had hurt him.

One of my hands was now free, and I used it to punch Brian in the stomach. The blow made him bend at the waist and he let go of my other hand. I ran around him and into my room, locking the door behind me. I backed away from the door until the back of my knees bumped against the bed. It took him a few seconds to recover from my punch, but once he was up, my attacker started hammering the door.

"Open the fucking door!" He yelled through the wood.

I fell on the bed trying to take another step back. Brian kept pounding at the door at irregular intervals. It made me jump every time, thinking the lock would snap. At some point, tears started running down my cheeks. I knew if he got inside the room I was done for. I pressed my hand to my mouth to quiet my sobs. After a few more minutes, he hit the door one last time. A single knock, but terribly strong. The door held and his footsteps going down the stairs resonated in my head for hours afterward.

* * *

**(Y/N)**

* * *

I got home from work and was surprised to see the couch empty. Usually, Jack would wait for me while watching something on the TV. But he was nowhere in sight.

I ate a small meal quickly and went upstairs. My feet stopped in front of the guest bedroom door. I raised my hand to knock and simply laid it flat against the wood.

"If he wasn't downstairs, he's probably sleeping," I reasoned. I knocked anyway.

Something shuffled on the other side of the door.

"Yes...?" He sounded tired.

"Can I come in?" I asked shyly.

"Yes."

I tried the doorknob, but it stopped mid-turn.

"It's locked."

"Oh..."

I heard some more shuffling, followed by light footsteps and a click. The door opened and Jack was standing in front of me. His eyes were swollen, he must have been in a deep sleep.

"Sorry to wake you up," I said.

"It's fine, come in." He opened the door a bit more.

I sat on the bed as he closed the door behind me. The room hadn't changed much since we'd gotten here. There now was a pile of dirty clothes - my clothes - in the corner near the window. Jack didn't have any clothes so I permitted him to take mine. The ones he had when he'd broken into my apartment were all torn up. We had had to throw them away.

The next thing that caught my attention was a pile of small white objects on the nightstand. Jack followed my gaze.

"How many have you lost?" There were too many teeth for me to count, but it didn't look like a full set.

"I don't know. Maybe half. Maybe more."

I stayed in his room for about half an hour, just chattering. When he talked, most of the teeth I could see were pointy.

"Are you tired?" He asked right after I stifled a yawn.

I nodded with a smile.

"Well, then I won't hold you any longer."

He stopped me as I was walking through the doorway.

"Thanks for coming to talk to me. It was nice." His gaze was turned towards his feet.

"You weren't downstairs when I got home, so I was a bit worried," I said with a chuckle.

He chuckled too, but nervously.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, absolutely. I'm just... tired." He kept his smile, but there was a little something that didn't convince me.

I grabbed the back of his head and kissed his temple softly.

"Sleep well, Jack."

"Sleep well, (Y/N)."

I opened the bathroom door on the other side of the hallway at the same time Jack closed his door. I needed a shower. I had worked at the food counter all afternoon and I smelled like butter and my whole body was sticky with sugar.

Once I was clean, I brushed my teeth and made my way to my bedroom. Brian was sat on the edge of the bed facing me. There was a book on my pillow with a bookmark poking out of it.

"Hey. You're still up?"

"Yeah, I was waiting for you," he said as he got up. His voice had an edge in it that sent shivers down my spine. And they weren't good shivers. "Where were you?"

"I- There was a lot of traffic so I got home later than usual," I explained.

"Traffic at midnight?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Someone had an accident. It's getting cold, you know, especially at night. There were a few ice patches on the road and someone slipped. The bus driver said he knew a shortcut but..."

"Shut up," he growled. I stopped talking immediately. He grabbed my upper arm and brought my face only a few inches away from his. "Where were you _after_ that?"

"I got home, and then I went to eat because I was hungry..."

"Why were you in Jack's room?" He squeezed my arm some more.

"I- I didn't see him downstairs so I went to check on him, that's all," I spoke softly. I didn't want to make him angrier than he already was. I didn't want another bruise.

"You don't see me downstairs either, but you don't seem to care that much about me. Ever since that boy has entered this house you stopped looking at me entirely."

"No, that's not true."

"Don't think for one second that I haven't noticed what's going on between the two of you."

"We're just friends!" I pleaded desperately.

If looks could kill, I would have died right there. His grip on me tightened momentarily before he pushed me down hard. My head banged against the wooden floor when I reached the ground. I rubbed the back of my head to alleviate the pain, in vain.

"Ungrateful son-of-a-bitch. I do everything for you! I let you stay here even though the burglars are long gone, I pay your food, I pay your Netflix, I even pay your fucking bus passes! And _this_ is how you thank me?"

"Just let me explain!"

"I'm going out tonight," Brian announced without even looking at me. "I don't want to be in this house right now."

The bedroom door slammed shut behind him. I stayed stunned for a moment before sitting up and dropping my head between my knees.

*****

Silently, I crept down the hallway with a big, fluffy blanket covering my shoulders like a cape. I walked into the bathroom and stood in front of the window. On the other side, the roof was almost flat and it was one of my favorite places to go when I was feeling down. I pushed the window open and crawled through it, careful to not let the blanket knock anything down. My footsteps were cautious on the roof. I plopped down with a sigh. The street looked nice from above. Everything looked nicer from above. It's calm and peaceful. Ironically, it felt like I was sitting at the bottom of the ocean. Just without the sharks.

It wasn't long before I heard footsteps coming from inside.

"(Y/N)? What are you doing on the roof?" Jack's voice asked.

I put on the best smile I could muster and turned to face him. It mustn't have been very convincing because he frowned as soon as he saw my face.

"What's wrong?" He lifted himself on the windowsill with his arms fully extended just like you prop yourself up on the edge of a pool.

I mumbled an answer but it was so low even I didn't know what I had said.

"I didn't quite catch that," he said as he passed through the window and sat next to me.

"Brian got mad at me," I repeated. I looked up at the dark sky, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Oh..." He stayed silent for two or three seconds. "Did he... hurt you?"

I pushed the blanket off of my shoulder and showed him my arm, where a bruise was already forming.

"There's that, and a bump on the back of my head."

"He hit your head!?"

"No, I just fell on the ground."

He raked his hand through my head to touch the bump and then moved his fingers to my face, pressing seemingly random spots.

"Can you feel it here? And here?"

"Jack, what are you doing?" I took his hand in mine to make him stop.

"I'm checking if you have a concussion," he said in the most serious tone I'd ever heard from him.

The surprise of his revelation made me burst out in laughter.

"Your neurosurgeon instincts are showing," I joked.

He chuckled before saying:

"It could be serious."

"I don't have a concussion."

"Are you sure? Name something that's red."

"An apple." I looked at him with that look meaning " _See, I don't have a concussion_ ".

"Name something that is blue."

"Um... W- Uhh... Wait, I can find something. Uhh, the blu- blueberries!"

"That was long as fuck," he said, unimpressed.

"I wanted to say the sky but right now it's black and I didn't know if you'd accept it!"

"A lot of things are blue. That blanket is blue," he said as he pointed to my homemade cloak.

"I don't have a concussion!"

"Alright, if you say so," he sighed. "Also, could I have some of the blanket? I'm a bit cold."

"Yes, of course." I moved the blanket so that it covered Jack too. He shifted closer to get the most he could. Our shoulders brushed together.

We stayed silent for a few minutes. Our hands were still tangled on my knee. Sometimes, the occasional car would drive down the street, breaking the silence but otherwise, everything was very peaceful.

"Does he hurt you often?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I took a minute to think about it.

"No," I said slowly. "Brian's just been really stressed lately because of his job. He thinks he might get fired, so he's always working super hard and it's taking its toll on him. When he comes back home, he doesn't have any patience left. But I know he loves me. He didn't mean to hurt me."

Jack looked at me.

"Do you really believe that?"

I looked down at our interlaced hands and stayed quiet. Silently, he brought my head down on his shoulder.

Time passed, and the sun started to rise on the horizon. Jack shook me lightly.

"Wake up," he whispered against my forehead.

"I'm not sleeping."

"Get up, then. You need to sleep and you'll feel better in your bed."

I groaned but followed him inside. Once we were back in the hallway, Jack cupped my face between his hands.

"Everything's gonna be okay," he said with a reassuring smile. I smiled back. He jerked his head towards my room. "Now go to bed."

I thanked him and scuttled back to my room and into the bed. I kept the blue blanket tight around me. It smelled of chocolate and pepper, just like Jack.


	12. Domestic Bliss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: this chapter contains domestic abuse.

[Domestic Bliss](https://youtu.be/SYFIkEElZ-c)

* * *

**(Y/N)**

* * *

When I woke up, Brian still wasn't home. My legs were tangled in the blue blanket and I kicked around to get free. On the nightstand, the alarm clock read _10:29 AM_ in red lights. Of course, Brian was gone. He has to get to work before 8:00. I doubted he even came back here. He probably went straight to his job from where he spent the night. I rolled out of bed and my feet landed on the soft rug on the floor.

There were still a couple of hours left before I needed to get to the bus stop down the street, but I needed to get out of this room. The creak of the stairs were the only sounds in the house. Downstairs, Jack was nowhere to be found. I spent most of the morning alone watching TV. There wasn't anything interesting. It was mostly kids' shows and a few soap operas. After a few minutes of scrolling through the channels, I turned to Netflix to alleviate my boredom.

Two of three minutes before noon, Jack sneaked up behind me.

"What are you watching?" He asked me as he slithered his arms around my neck and rested his hands on my chest.

I craned my neck back to look him in the eyes. Well... Not the eyes per se, but whatever.

"That show we started watching together but you finished without me," I accused. "And don't say it wasn't you, Brian doesn't watch these kinds of shows."

His smile faded away when I mentioned my boyfriend's name.

"Does your head hurt?"

I sighed softly.

"I don't have a concussion, Jack. Stop worrying about that."

"I'm not worried about you having a concussion. You made it very clear yesterday that you don't have one. I'm asking you if you have a headache."

I looked at him silently. Why was he so worried about me?

"I do have a headache. I took some pills but it still hurts a bit."

"With the bump you had, the opposite would have been surprising." He freed me from his embrace and started walking towards the kitchen but stopped mid-tracks, turning around slowly. "Did you eat something to go with the pills you took?"

"I'll eat something when this episode is over," I told him.

"Yeah, right. And then you'll start another one because you'll have forgotten, then you'll say " _oh, after this one_ ", and you'll never eat anything."

"I'll finish this episode and then I'll eat, I promise."

He pointed at a chair at the table and gave me that look only mothers can do. You know, with pinched lips and a raised eyebrow. When they give you that face and you keep arguing, you know you're fucked.

"Now."

I groaned but complied.

"You sound like my mom," I said as I passed next to him.

"I don't care. You're going to eat." He pointed his finger toward me. "Is there something you want in particular?"

I shrugged.

"Toasts, I guess. But you don't have to make them for me."

"I want to," he said as he turned away. "Cooking makes me feel normal."

We stayed silent while he prepared my lunch. I watched him move through the kitchen. He would open random cabinets before closing them and moving to another cabinet. It was obvious he was lost, but he didn't dare ask for directions. He'd been like that ever since we were kids. Never asking advice from anyone, trying to figure things out on his own. I guess it worked well for him if he ended up neurosurgeon.

"Do you want jam on them?" He asked, pulling me out of my daydreams.

"Uh, sure."

He brought me my plate and plopped down on the chair next to me with a sigh. I thanked him.

"I miss eating toasts," he said with his chin in his hand.

"Really?"

"Yeah..." His head dropped on the table. "And I miss lasagna. Ugh, I miss lasagna _so much_."

He started listing tons of different foods he missed.

"... And apple pies," he continued. "And Christmas cookies."

"Christmas cookies?"

"You know, the ones my mom makes."

"Oh, yes. You're right, they were really good."

He hummed sadly in agreement. I finished my lunch silently, trying to find a way to cheer him up.

"Maybe there's something you can eat, you just haven't tried it."

He raised his gaze to meet mine.

"I don't think there is."

"At least, you can still have drinks," I tried.

"They're not even nutritious, they just make me go to the bathroom more often."

"But they taste good."

He looked at me silently as a slow smile crept on his face.

"They do taste good."

I pushed my empty plate away and laid my head on the table like Jack.

"Are you hungry?" I asked him very softly.

"...Yes," he answered even more softly.

"Go get a needle."

He pushed his chair back and walked toward the bathroom. We'd done this a couple of times already so he knew where the needles were. I got up to get a shooter glass, placed it on the counter, and waited for his return.

"Why is there a shooter glass?" He asked, pointing to the glass next to me.

"I know you don't like licking my finger."

He opened his mouth to reply before closing it again.

"No, you're right," he chuckled lightly.

I pushed the needle under my skin. A small red dot appeared as soon as I removed the needle. Pressing on the skin around it, I made the drop bigger and let it fall into the glass. Two or three other drops followed the first one. Once a small pool had formed at the bottom, I handed the glass to Jack.

"Thank you," he said.

I turned around towards the sink. I guessed he would enjoy a bit of privacy, and took advantage of it to wash the blood off of my finger.

*****

Jack and I spent all the time we had left before I left for my job watching TV. We were sat on each side of the couch with our legs tangled in the middle. It was nice. It was peaceful. I would spare a glance at Jack sometimes, but he was always looking at the screen in front of us as if he was in some sort of trance. I looked back at the television.

"Do you remember when you dragged me to your friend's party last week?" He asked after a long silence.

"I do," I answered.

"Later, in the park..." He paused, searching for his words. "Brian gave you that bruise on your stomach, didn't he?"

I turned my head towards him but he was still watching the TV. Some part of me wanted to disagree but Jack wasn't wrong and I was tired of always defending Brian. I felt my stomach twist into a thousand knots as I said it.

"Yes, it was him."

Finally, he looked at me. The silence stretched on between us for a few minutes.

"Why did you lie to me?"

It felt like a punch to the gut. He kept watching me, waiting for an answer but I couldn't give him one.

"You said you had bumped into your fridge while opening it," he continued. "Why did you lie? Were you scared... I wouldn't understand? Or that I would get mad?"

"I have to get to work." My voice sounded like it wasn't even mine. The knots in my stomach were still holding strong. I got up from the couch and made my way to the front door.

"(Y/N), I just want to help you," Jack said as I walked away. I ignored him.

"Have a good day, Jack." I walked through the door and closed it behind me.

I looked behind the living room window as I passed in front of it. Jack was still staring at the door with a sour expression on his face. When I got to the bus stop, I took my phone out of my pocket to check the time. I still had to wait for forty-five minutes.

* * *

**Jack**

* * *

A sigh escaped my lips as the door closed behind (Y/N).

"I shouldn't have asked him that," I mumbled once I was alone. I couldn't help but feel like I'd made a big mistake.

*****

Later that day, as I got out of the bathroom from a nice shower, I saw Brian coming up the stairs. I hadn't seen him since the day before that when he had... I still didn't know how to call it. It was not a kiss since kisses had to be reciprocated, at least in my opinion. But could I classify it as sexual assault? It seemed a bit dramatic. I froze when I saw him. In one hand, he held his black suitcase with the logo of his company on it, a big green _A_ surrounded by three white circles. Stuck between his chest and bicep was a box wrapped in glittery paper.

"I didn't know it was Christmas."

"Get the fuck out of my way," he growled lowly.

"Woah, it really feels like you hate me! A bright contrast from yesterday, don't you think?"

"What are you even talking about."

It didn't sound like a question, but still, I answered.

"You don't remember? When you assaulted me." I took the dramatic way. "When you tried to convince me that we had something going on."

I gestured between the two of us to emphasize what I had said. He ignored me. Looking over my head, he kept walking until he was in his room, bumping my shoulder on the way. Grinding my teeth together, I glared at the wooden door once Brian was gone.

* * *

**(Y/N)**

* * *

For the second night in a row, Jack wasn't on the couch when I got there. In a way, it lifted a weight from my shoulders. I wasn't in the mood to deal with the questions he had for me. Knowing him, I doubted he would have forgotten about this morning. I went upstairs and brushed my teeth quickly.

When I got inside my room, Brian was still awake. He was laying in the bed, scrolling through his phone idly. He got up when he saw me. Memories of last night came back to my mind. Usually, he was already asleep when I got home. He grabbed something on the nightstand next to him before walking up to me.

"I... wanted to apologize for yesterday," he said as he handed me a box wrapped carefully. "I acted like an idiot and I really regret it. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry I hurt you. I really am."

I took the gift and unwrapped it. Under the shiny red paper, I found a forest green box with a small golden crown on the lid. My mouth fell open as Brian continued his monologue.

"I'm really stupid, I should have handled it better. You have every right to go talk to Jack. I would have just preferred if you could have told me hello when you got home."

"You bought me a Rolex?" My voice was high-pitched. I looked up at him.

"Open it," he said with a small smile.

I pushed up the lid and saw a beautiful watch. The bracelet was made of a few dozens silvery-white rectangles. The glass was so clear I could barely see it. Behind the silver hands slowly ticking, the background was a deep blue, similar to the sky between night and day. The numbers shone, engraved with minuscule diamonds.

"I spent my whole lunch break looking for the perfect watch for you," he told me. "I didn't have time to eat and I was almost late for work. Do you like it?"

I looked up at him in shock and threw my arms around his neck.

"Of course, I love it! It's beautiful," I told him before planting a kiss on his lips.

"Do you forgive me?" He asked.

I let go of him to look at his face.

"Promise me," I said, "that you'll never hurt me again."

"I promise."

"What do you promise?"

"I promise that I'll never hurt you again." The look on his face was genuine. "I'm so sorry. I'm an idiot."

"You sure are one," I teased him as I dragged him back to bed.

* * *

**Jack**

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of laughter downstairs. I could hear the noise of cutlery on plates echoing through the floorboards. (Y/N) and Brian were probably eating breakfast together. I remembered Brian's face when he had told me to get out of his way and decided it was safer to stay up here in my room.

I waited until I was sure Brian had left for work before I finally went downstairs. (Y/N) was still sat at the table with both of his hands on his phone.

"Hello," he said. "Are you hungry?"

On his face was the biggest smile I'd seen since I had gotten back from the woods.

"No, I'm not," I lied as I sat down next to him. I pointed to his wrist. "That thing's new."

He looked down at the silver watch as a subtle blush spread across his cheeks.

"Brian gave it to me yesterday to apologize."

I thought about the box (Y/N)'s boyfriend had brought home yesterday. Something about all this didn't sit right with me, but on the other hand, I didn't want to upset (Y/N).

"(Y/N)," I started, thinking carefully about my next words. "You do realize that he's buying your love, right?"

His smile faded away slowly.

"I know, but it was an accident. He didn't mean to hurt me."

"So he did this to you by accident?" I said as I lifted the sleeve of his shirt to reveal the bruise on his arm. It wasn't as dark as the night it had happened, but it was still very noticeable. He pulled his sleeve back down.

"It's not as simple as you think." He looked down at his phone. I grabbed his face to make him look at me.

"Then tell me! Explain to me what's going on! I just want to help you."

He bit his lower lip before he started talking again.

"I'm scared of what could happen if I leave him."

"What do you mean?" I hoped I didn't sound too insistent.

He looked around as if he was scared that Brian would barge in from a window or something.

"I don't even know if I still love him. If I leave him, he's going to get angry. Really angry. I don't want to get hurt anymore, Jack. But I also don't want to be alone and I don't know what to do." A single tear fell on his cheek and I wiped it away with my thumb.

"You don't have to be alone," I told him. "I'm here for you. If you need me, just call for me and I'll come. You know I'd protect you from anything."

He smiled even with the tears in his eyes, and that smile, oh, it made me feel things.

"I called for you when you were in the forest but you didn't come," he joked.

"That was the only exception," I reassured him.

He leaned over the table to hug me. It wasn't the most comfortable hug, with a table poking my ribs. Still, it was nice being in his arms.

"Thank you," he said.

"I'm not going to ask you to leave Brian, I just want you to be safe and to take care of yourself."

I felt him smile against my neck.

"I think I can do that."

"Good."

"Thank you," he repeated as he let go of me. "I'm so grateful that you're helping me."

"Of course I'm helping you."

Suddenly, his phone rang, making us both jump.

"Oh, I really have to take this."

"Alright, I'll go."

"No, you can stay," he said. "I don't mind."

I sat back down on my chair as (Y/N) got up and started pacing the kitchen. He talked to the other person for a few minutes, sometimes shooting me looks if I stared at him for too long. Once the phone call ended, he pressed the red button on the screen and looked at me.

"I got a job!" His voice was buzzing with excitement.

"Another one?" I asked him as he plopped down on a chair.

"Do you really think I went to university just to work at a cinema?"

I felt myself smile.

"I'm really happy for you. How much does it pay?"

"A lot more than my current job," he said with a shy giggle.

"You must be happy."

"I am, but..." He paused to look at the clock on the wall. "I still have to go to the cinema for now."

He wandered through the house for a few minutes, getting a few things in order before he called me to the front door.

"Yes?" I answered when I got close to him.

"I just wanted to see if you would really come."

I slid my arms around his waist.

"I told you I would."

He hummed softly as he lowered his head on my shoulder. I can't tell how long we stayed like that. My whole body felt warm at the end and my knees were shaking mildly when I let go of him.

"Have a good day," he said before kissing my neck.

He straightened up with an innocent smile stretching his lips. I blinked twice, trying to make my brain work again.

"You too," I said. It was the only thing I could manage to say as I watched him walk away.

*****

The days were starting to get long. I couldn't find any shows I hadn't seen before or that didn't seem boring. There was a small bookshelf in a corner of the living room but like the TV shows, I had read them before or they weren't my taste. At some point during the afternoon, I went outside. I took a small walk. It had been nearly a week since (Y/N) and I had run away to Brian's house and it was the first time I went outside further than the patio. The houses all looked similar in this neighborhood. They were all big, grey or beige, and they had a single round tree in the middle of the front yard.

I ended my walk when the sun began to set. Brian usually got back once it was dark and that day, I didn't want to see him so I hid in my room as soon as I got home. I managed to avoid him for about two hours before he came upstairs.

"Hey, Jack?" His muffled voice said through the door.

"Yes?" I answered already annoyed.

"Can you come open? My hands are full."

" _Did he get me a gift too?_ " I thought sarcastically as I dropped the book I was reading on the nightstand and made my way to the door. Behind it stood Brian with a big wooden tray in his hands, and on the tray was a bowl of thick brown stew with a couple of fresh bread slices next to it.

"I never see you eat anything, and you didn't come down at all this evening so I thought you might be hungry," he explained.

I looked at the food silently. The pieces of carrots and potatoes looked deliciously tender. The beef would probably fall apart if you planted a fork in it. I might have jumped on the meal if only it didn't smell like garbage. I didn't blame Brian for that, though. Every food smelled like shit now and it really sucked. I would have died for a bite of that stew.

"It's my mother's recipe. It smells good, doesn't it?"

I looked up at him.

"Yeah, it does," I lied.

He pushed the tray towards me.

"I made it for you," he said with a smile. "Well, I made the stew for everyone, but this bowl is for you."

"Uh, thank you," I stuttered." But I'm not hungry." I needed to get myself out of there. If he forced me to eat it and I puked all over his house, I doubted he would like it. Especially if it's his mother's recipe.

"But you didn't eat."

"I ate before you came home." I hoped I was convincing enough.

"That was a few hours ago."

For a second, I debated whether or not to tell him that I can't eat normal food, but I dropped the idea quickly enough. So instead, I did the first thing that came to my mind. I took the tray from his hands with a smile and just as I was thanking him, I let it fall to the ground. I made it believable. I gasped and I tried to grab it as it fell. I really put up an act. Honestly, I think I did great.

"I'm so sorry," I said as I ran into my room to grab the tissue box.

"It's fine, accidents happen," Brian said as he came out of the bathroom with an old cloth in his hands. Surprisingly enough, he didn't seem mad. He seemed a bit worried about the floor, muttering about how he didn't want the wood to curl.

We cleaned the mess quickly enough. Luckily, the bowl wasn't broken.

"I'm really sorry," I said as I threw away the wet tissues. I wasn't sorry.

"It's fine, really. I can bring you another plate."

"I'm telling you I already ate. I'm not hungry."

He looked at me almost as if I was suspicious. I probably was.

"Alright, your loss. It's a really good stew."

"I'm sure it is," I said as he walked back down the stairs with his dirty tray. I watched his back disappear before I closed the door.

I settled back on the bed with a sigh. I picked up my book to read some more, but I couldn't focus on the words. Something about Brian felt off. I had felt it since I had met him a week ago but these past couple of days, my feeling had intensified. I felt myself grow angrier at him by the second.

"Who does he think he _is_?" I asked the ceiling as I crossed my arms over my chest.

I was angry that he thought one act of kindness was enough for people to forgive him when he hurt them. I was angry that he thought he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and not suffer the consequences. But most of all, I was angry because of what (Y/N) had told me. About how he was scared to leave Brian because he didn't want to get hurt anymore. I was angry that he would rather be with a douche like Brian than to be alone.

I stayed in my room the rest of the night, brooding. I only went downstairs when I was sure Brian was sound asleep in his room. I crashed on the couch and waited for (Y/N).

* * *

**(Y/N)**

* * *

I sighed when I got home. The day had been long and the customers, unpleasant. I turned to the couch to hopefully be greeted by Jack, but he was nowhere in sight. I guess the days where he waited for me were over. I shook off my coat and put it up on a hanger next to the door. Silently, I made my way to the kitchen to eat something before I went to bed. When I opened the fridge, I saw a huge metal cooking pot. I took off the lid and peered inside.

"Oh yeah, he made stew," I said as I took the pot out of the fridge to serve myself.

Once it was hot and ready, I took my bowl to the living room, where the television was still on. I put the bowl on top of the coffee table. As I was sitting down, I noticed Jack who was sleeping on the couch. I jumped out of the way at the last second. I looked at his sleeping form for a few seconds before I started laughing quietly. I hadn't seen him when I'd gotten home because he was laid down. In the end, he hadn't forgotten me.

I sat down on the ground in front of the couch and lowered the volume of the television so that Jack wouldn't wake up if there were any loud noises. I ate my food quietly, sometimes snickering at the jokes on TV. At some point, Jack shuffled behind me. I turned around but he was still fast asleep. The show ended and I looked down at my bowl for the final bite only to find that it was empty.

Sighing, I got up to put away the dishes. When I came back to the living room, I paused to look at Jack. His chest moved slowly following the rhythm of his breath. He seemed at peace, unburdened by the reality of the waking world. I wondered what he dreamt of. Lately, I noticed he was on edge a lot of the time. I could bet it was because of Brian. The two of them didn't exactly get along. Crouching down at his level, I pushed a strand of hair out of his face. His skin looked almost black in the dark living room.

"Jack, wake up."

Slowly, he moaned and opened his eyes.

"Wha..." Looking around the room, he rubbed a hand on his face.

"You fell asleep on the couch," I explained.

"Oh, I was waiting for you. I wanted to tell you good night."

I smiled and thanked him before pressing a quick kiss to his forehead.

"Good night," I said, smiling as his cheeks grew darker.

"Good night," he repeated while I walked to the staircase.

I couldn't stop smiling once I got upstairs. It felt good to know that Jack actively wanted to tell me good night. I could get used to this. In the bathroom, I brushed my teeth on auto-pilot, replaying Jack's blush in my head. When I got out, Jack was waiting for me. He was sitting against the wall and got up once he saw me.

"(Y/N), you need to stop kissing me," he explained as I stopped in front of him.

"What? But I thought you liked it. Was I wrong?" He always got giddy when I kissed him. His whole face would blush and he would get that cute shy smile.

"No, you weren't wrong. But you're already dating someone and even if Brian treats you like shit, I don't want you to be a cheater because of me." He didn't talk loudly. We were only a few feet away from where Brian was sleeping and we would both get into deep troubles if he heard us. In a way, I got where he was coming from.

"So no more kisses?" I asked him.

"No."

"Not even on the cheek?"

"No!"

I pouted dramatically. He smiled.

"Can I have a good night hug then?"

"Yes, you can," he said as he raised his arms.

I wrapped my arms around him, enjoying the warmth of his body, the scent of his shampoo. It was hard to focus on something other than his hands spread out flat against the small of my back or his face nuzzling the spot where my shoulder met my neck.

" _Don't let go, don't let go,_ " I mentally begged him.

Eventually, we had to let go. His face was a shade darker than before the hug. My own face felt slightly warmer too.

"Can I give you one last kiss, please? On the cheek," I asked.

"Only one," he said as he pointed to his cheek. I smiled and gave him a quick peck.

When I pulled back, Jack cupped my cheeks with his hands and brought my forehead down to his lips.

"Good night," he whispered as he let go of my head.

"Good night," I told him for the second time that night.

With a smile, he turned away from me and headed into his room. I did the same. Once I was in my room, I took off my clothes, put on the grey shirt I usually sleep in, and slid into bed. Brian, who apparently wasn't asleep yet, turned toward me.

"Is it just me or it's cold in here," I said as I wiggled closer to my boyfriend.

"Did you kiss him?" He asked, ignoring me.

"What?"

He pushed me down on my back and got up on top of me.

"Did. You. Kiss. Him.'' His voice sounded more like a growl than his actual voice.

"Brian, you..."

I felt the slap more than I saw it. He looked pissed off, way more than usual. Instinctively, I raised my hand to my cheek.

"Answer me!"

I looked up at him and I knew trying to reason with him wouldn't do anything.

"Yes, I kissed him." I spoke my words slowly, faintly, as if somehow it would appease him.

He looked at me for a second or two, shaking his head.

"So you really have no respect for me, do you?"

"Why don't you ever let me explain?"

"You want to explain how you cheated on me with that no-eyed freak? Am I really so disgusting you'd rather sleep with a fucking monster than with me?"

"I didn't sleep-"

"You bastard," he finally said, moving away from me.

I had a feeling the conversation was over, but I still had something to say.

"Jack is not a monster. At least, _he_ treats me like an actual human being and not just like a meat bag good only to be fucked and beaten. He might have grey skin, sharp teeth, and no eyes but he has more feelings than you'll ever have."

I got out of bed and put sweatpants over my underwear.

"And yes, you disgust me," I added as I left the room, slamming the door behind me.

I took in a shaky breath. The next few days would be horrible. I bit my bottom lip to keep my sobs quiet. The regrets were already creeping over me.

" _Why did I say that?!_ " I screamed in thoughts. A small voice in my head told me it didn't really matter. I doubted Brian ever felt remorse for what he did.

I took another breath to calm myself down. I crossed the hallway to Jack's door and entered without knocking. His head shot up to look at me when I came into his room.

"Sorry if I woke you up," I said.

"You didn't," he answered. "The walls are thin."

He had heard everything.

I stood there in silence for a short while.

"Please don't kick me out of your room," I murmured when he didn't say anything.

"Of course not. Get over here." He pushed the covers of his bed and patted the empty space next to him.

I wiped the tears in my eyes and thanked him. He smiled as a welcome.

Almost as soon as I hit the bed, Jack wrapped his arms around me. One of his hands came up to my face and he started running the back of his fingers on my skin. His cool fingers felt nice against my burning cheek. I grabbed the back of his shirt and buried my face in his chest.

"You can stay as long as you want," he told me.

That night, I fell asleep to the rhythmic movement of his hand running smooth circles up and down my back. His other hand was petting the hair on the back of my neck. He whispered kind words, his mouth pressed against my forehead. To my half-asleep self, they sounded like prayers and promises.


End file.
